ingleader of the seditious outbreaks to be
arrested. He, as he was being dragged off by the lictors, appealed
to the people; nor would the consul have allowed the appeal, because
there was no doubt regarding the decision of the people, had not his
obstinacy been with difficulty overcome, rather by the advice and
influence of the leading men, than by the clamours of the people; with
such a superabundance of courage was he endowed to support the weight
of public odium. The evil gained ground daily, not only by open
clamours, but, what was far more dangerous, by secession and by secret
conferences. At length the consuls, so odious to the commons, resigned
office, Servilius liked by neither party, Appius highly esteemed by
the senators.

Then Aulus Verginius and Titus Vetusius entered on the consulship.
Upon this the commons, uncertain what sort of consuls they were likely
to have, held nightly meetings, some of them upon the Esquiline, and
others upon the Aventine, lest, when assembled in the forum, they
should be thrown into confusion by being obliged to adopt hasty
resolutions, and proceed inconsiderately and at hap-hazard. The
consuls, judging this proceeding to be of dangerous tendency, as it
really was, laid the matter before the senate. But, when it was laid
before them, they could not get them to consult upon it regularly; it
was received with an uproar on all sides, and by the indignant shouts
of the fathers, at the thought that the consuls threw on the senate
the odium for that which should have been carried out by consular
authority. Assuredly, if there were real magistrates in the republic,
there would have been no council at Rome but a public one. As it was,
the republic was divided and split into a thousand senate-houses and
assemblies, some meetings being held on the Esquiline, others on the
Aventine. One man, like Appius Claudius--for such a one was of more
value than a consul--would have dispersed those private meetings in a
moment. When the consuls, thus rebuked, asked them what it was that
they desired them to do, declaring that they would carry it out with
as much energy and vigour as the senators wished, the latter issued
a decree that they should push on the levy as briskly as possible
declaring that the people had become insolent from want of employment.
When the senate had been dismissed, the consuls assembled the tribunal
and summoned the younger men by name. When none of them answered to
his name,