menu_book Chapter 15

from the foundation of the city volume one by titus livius translated by george baker book two part six the senate were then seized with apprehensions that if the citizens should be discharged from the army their secret cabals and conspiracies would be renewed wherefore supposing that though the levy was made by the dictator yet as the soldiers had sworn obedience to the consuls they were still bound by that oath they ordered the legions under the pretext of hostilities being renewed by the equians to be led out of the city which steps served only to hasten the breaking out of the sedition it is said that the plebeians at first entertained thoughts of putting the consuls to death in order that they might be thereby discharged from the oath but being afterwards informed that no religious obligation could be dissolved by an act of wickedness they by the advice of a person called siccanus retired without waiting for orders from the consuls to the sacred mount beyond the river arno about three miles from the city this account is more generally credited than that given by piso who says the secession was made to the aventine in this place without any commander having fortified their camp with a rampart and trench they remained quiet for several days

taking nothing from any one but necessary subsistence neither receiving nor giving offence great was the consternation in the city all was fearful suspense and mutual apprehension the plebeians who were left behind by their brethren dreaded the violence of the patricians the patricians dreaded the plebeians who remained in the city not knowing whether they ought to wish for their stay or for their departure but how long could it be supposed that the multitude which had seceded would remain inactive and what would be the consequence if in the meantime a foreign war should break out no glimpse of hope could they see left except in concord between the citizens which must be re-established in the state on any terms whether fair or unfair they determined therefore to send as ambassador to the plebeians meninius agrippa a man of eloquence and acceptable to the commons because he had been originally one of their body he being admitted into the camp is said to have related to them the following fable delivered in an antiquated language and an uncouth style at a time when the members of the human body did not as at present all unite in one plan

but each member had its own scheme and its own language the other parts were provoked at seeing that the fruits of all their care of all their toil and service were applied to the use of the belly and that the belly meanwhile remained at its ease and did nothing but enjoy the pleasure provided for it on this they conspired together that the hand should not bring food to the mouth nor the mouth receive it if offered nor the teeth chew it while they wished by these angry measures to subdue the belly through hunger the members themselves and the whole body were together with it reduced to the last stage of decay from thence it appeared that the office of the belly itself was not confined to a slothful indolence that it could not only receive nourishment but supply it to the others conveying to every part of the body that blood on which depend our life and vigor by distributing it equally through the veins after having brought it to perfection by digestion of the food applying this to the present case and showing what similitude there was between the dissension of the members and the resentment of the commons against the patricians he made a considerable impression on the people's minds a negotiation was then opened for a reconciliation and an accommodation was effected on the terms that the plebeians should have magistrates of their own invested with inviolable privileges who might have power to afford them protection against the consuls

and that it should not be lawful for any of the patricians to hold that office accordingly there were two tribunes of the commons created caius licinius and lucius albinius and these created three colleagues to themselves among whom was sicinius the adviser of the secession but who the other two were is not agreed some say that there were only two tribunes created on the sacred mount and that the devoting law was passed there during the secession of the commons spurius cassius and posthumus comminius entered on the consulship in their consulate the treaty with the latins was concluded for the purpose of ratifying this one of the consuls remained at rome and the other being sent with an army against the volscians defeated and put to flight those of antium and having driven them into the town of longula pursued the blow and made himself master of the town he afterwards took polusca another town belonging to the same people then with all his force attacked corioli there was in the camp among others of the young nobility caius marcius a youth of quick judgment and lively courage who was afterwards surnamed cariolanus

the roman army while engaged in the siege of corioli applying their whole attention to the garrison which they kept shut up in the town without any fear of an attack from without were assaulted on a sudden by the volscian legions who had marched thither from antium and at the same time the enemy sallied out from the town marsyas happened to be then on guard and being supported by a chosen body of men he not only repelled the attack of the sallying party but rushed furiously in at the open gate and putting all to the sword in that part of the city laid hold of the first fire which he found and threw it on the houses adjoining the wall on which the shouts of the townsmen mingling with the cries of the women and children occasioned by the first fright served both to add courage to the romans and to dispirit the volscians as they perceived that the town was taken which they had come to relieve by this means the volscians of antium were defeated and the town of corioli taken and so entirely did the glory of marsius eclipse the fame of the consul that were it not the treaty with the latines being engraved on a brazen pillar remained to testify that it was ratified by spurious cassius alone the other consul being absent it would not have been remembered that posthumus cominius was appointed to conduct the war this year died menenius agrippa through the whole course of his life equally beloved by the patricians and the plebeians and after the secession still more endeared to the latter

this man who in the character of mediator and umpire had re-established concord among his countrymen the ambassador of the senate to the plebeians the person who brought back the roman commons to the city was not possessed of property sufficient for the expense of a funeral he was buried at the charge of the commons by a contribution of a sexton's from each person the consuls who succeeded were titus greganius and publius minucius during this year when the state was undisturbed by foreign wars the dissensions at home had been healed a more grievous calamity of another nature fell upon it at first a scarcity of provisions occasioned by the lands lying untilled during the secession of the commons and afterwards a famine not less severe than what is felt in a besieged city this without doubt would have increased to such a degree that the slaves and also many of the commons must have perished had not the consuls taken measures to remedy it by sending to all quarters to buy up corn not only into etruria on the coast to the right of ostia and by permission of the volskians along the coast on the left as far as cum but even to sicily for the hatred entertained against them by their neighbours compelled them thus to look for aid to distant countries

after a quantity of corn had been purchased at cum the ships were detained by the tyrant aristodemus as the property of the tarquini whose heir he was among the volskians and in the pomptine district it could not even be purchased the persons employed in that business being in danger of their lives from the violence of the inhabitants from etruria some corn was conveyed by the tiber by which the people were suborded at this unseasonable time while thus distressed by the scarcity they were in danger of being farther harassed by war had not a most destructive pestilence attacked the volscians when they were just ready to commence hostilities by this dreadful calamity the enemy were so dispirited that even after it had abated they could not entirely rid their minds of the terror which it had occasioned besides the romans not only augmented the numbers in their settlement at villatre but sent a new colony into the mountains of norba to serve as a barrier in the pomptine territory in the succeeding consulate of marcus minucius and allus sempronius a great quantity of corn was brought from sicily and it was debated in the senate at what price it should be given to the commons

many were of opinion that now was the time to humble the commons and to recover those rights which by the secession and violence had been extorted from the patricians marcius coriolanus particularly an avowed enemy of the power of the tribunes said if they wish to have provisions at the usual price let them restore to the patricians their former rights why am i obliged after being sent under the yoke after being ransomed as it were from robbers to behold plebeian magistrates to behold sicinius invested with power and authority shall i submit to such indignities longer than necessity compels me shall i who could not endure tarquinius on the throne endure sicinius let him now succeed let him call away the commons the road is open to the sacred mount and to the other hills let them carry off the corn from our lands as they did two years ago let them make the best of the present state of the market which they have occasioned by their own madness i affirm with confidence that when they are brought to reason by their present sufferings they will themselves become tillers of the lands rather than take arms and succeed to prevent their being tilled whether such a measure were expedient is not now easy to say but in my opinion it was very practicable for the patricians by insisting on terms for lowering the price of provisions to have freed themselves from the tribunician power and every other restraint imposed on them against their will

the method proposed appeared to the senate to be too harsh and incensed the commons to such a degree that they were very near having recourse to arms they complained that as if they were enemies attempts were made to destroy them by famine that they were defrauded of food and sustenance that the foreign corn the only support which unexpectedly fortune had given them was to be snatched out of their mouths unless the tribunes were surrendered up in bonds to caius unless he were gratified by the personal sufferings of the roman commons a new kind of executioner had come forward who gave them no alternative but death or slavery they would have proceeded to violence against him as he came out of the senate-house had not the tribunes very opportunely summoned him to a trial this suppressed their rage when every one saw himself a judge and empowered to decide on the life and death of his foe at first marsyas heard the threats of the tribunes with scorn the authority given to their office he said extended only to the affording protection not to the inflicting of punishment that they were tribunes of the commons not of the patricians

but the whole body of the commons had taken up the cause with such implacable animosity that the patricians were under the necessity of devoting one victim to punishment for the general safety they struggled however notwithstanding the weight of the public hatred which they had to contend with and not only each particular member but the whole collective body exerted their utmost efforts and at first they tried whether by posting their clients in divers places convenient for the purpose they could not deter the several plebeians from attending the meetings and cabals and thereby put a stop to farther proceedings afterwards they all came forth in a body addressing the commons with entreaties and supplications one would have thought that every patrician was going to stand his trial they besought them if they did not think proper to equip marcius as innocent yet considering him as guilty to grant as a favor on their request the pardon of one citizen one senator

however as he himself did not appear on the day appointed they persisted in their resentment he was condemned in his absence and went into exile to the volskians uttering menaces against his country and breathing already the resentment of an enemy the volskians received him kindly and daily increased their attention and respect in proportion as they had opportunities of observing the violence of his anger towards his countrymen against whom he would often utter complaints and even threats he lodged in the house of attius tullus who was then the man of by far greatest consequence amongst the volscians and an inveterate enemy to the romans so that the one being stimulated by an old animosity the other by fresh resentment they began to concert schemes for bringing about a war with rome they judged however that it would be a difficult matter to prevail on their people to take arms which they had so often tried without success that by the many wars which they had sustained at difficult times and lately by the loss of their young men in the pestilence their spirits were broken and that it was necessary to make use of art in order that their hatred which had now lost its keenness through length of time might be thereby wedded anew it happened that preparations were then making it rome for a repetition of the great games

the reason of repeating them was this on the morning of the day when the games were to have been celebrated before the shows began a master of a family after lashing his slave loaded with a neck-yoke had driven him across the middle of the circus the games were afterwards exhibited as if this affair had no relation to religion some short time after titus attinius a plebeian had a dream he imagined jupiter to have said to him that the dancer who performed previously to the games had been displeasing to him and unless those games were repeated and that in a magnificent manner the city would be in danger and ordered him to go and tell this to the consuls although the man's mind was under the influence of a considerable degree of superstition yet the awe which he felt at the high dignity of the magistrates and his own apprehensions lest he should be treated by them and the public as an object of ridicule overcame his religious fears this delay cost him dear for within a few days he lost his son and lest the cause of that sudden disaster should be doubtful while he was overwhelmed with grief the same phantom appeared to him in his sleep and seemed to ask him whether he had gotten a sufficient reward for the contempt of the deity telling him that a still greater awaited him unless he went immediately and delivered the message to the consuls

this made a deeper impression on his mind and yet he hesitated and delayed until at length he was attacked by a grievous disorder a stroke of the palsy he then submitted to the admonitions of the divine displeasure and wearied out by his past sufferings and the apprehension of others which threatened him he called a council of his intimate friends and after acquainting them with the several things which he had seen and heard and with jupiter's having appeared to him so often in his sleep and likewise the anger and threats of the deity so speedily fulfilled in the calamities which had befallen him he was in pursuance of the clear and unanimous opinion of all present carried in a litter into the forum to the councils from thence he was conveyed by their order into the senate-house where when he had related the same accounts to the utter astonishment of all behold another miracle it is recorded that he who had been carried thither incapable of using any of his limbs had no sooner discharged his duty than he was able to walk home without assistance the senate decreed that the games should be exhibited in the most splendid manner to these games in consequence of a plan laid by attius tullus a vast number of the volscians were paired

before the commencement of the exhibition tullus according to a scheme concerted at home with marsyas came to the consuls told them that he wished to confer with them in private on some matters which concerned the commonwealth and every other person having retired he addressed them thus it is painful to me in the extreme to say any thing of my countrymen that is not to their honor i do not come however to charge them with having committed any wrong act but to guard against such being committed that the disposition of our people are fickle to a degree infinitely beyond what might be wished numerous disasters have given sensible proofs for to your forbearance it is owing and not to our own deserts that we have not been utterly destroyed there are great numbers of the volscians now in rome there are games to be celebrated the public will be intent on the exhibition i well remember the outrage which was committed in this city by the sabine youths on a similar occasion i shudder with apprehension lest some inconsiderate and rash deed may ensue thus much i thought it my duty both for our own sake and for yours to mention beforehand to you who are consuls for my part i intend instantly to return home lest if i should be present my character might be stained with the imputation of some improper word or action

after this discourse he departed the consuls proposed the matter to the consideration of the senate a matter indeed unsupported by proof but yet coming from a person whose authority was of great weight the authority then rather than any reason appearing in the case as it often happens determined them to use precautions even though they might be unnecessary and a decree being passed that the volskians should retire from the city criers were despatched to every quarter to order them all to remove before night at first they were struck with great terror as they ran up and down to their lodgings to take away their effects indignation afterwards filled their minds when they were beginning their journey they considered themselves stigmatized as persons infamous and polluted driven away from the converse of men and of gods from public games on the day of a festival End of Book 2, Part 6