et not the senate give
their approbation, either to the assemblies of the centuries or of the
Curiae. Let Sextius and Licinius, like Romulus and Tatius, reign in the
city of Rome, because they give away as donations other persons' money
and lands. So great is the charm of plundering the possessions of other
persons: nor does it occur to you that by the one law vast wilds are
produced throughout the lands by expelling the proprietors from their
territories; by the other credit is destroyed, along with which all
human society ceases to exist. For every reason, I consider that those
propositions ought to be rejected by you. Whatever ye may do, I pray the
gods to render it successful."

42. The speech of Appius merely had this effect, that the time for
passing the propositions was deferred. The same tribunes, Sextius and
Licinius, being re-elected for the tenth time, succeeded in passing a
law, that of the decemvirs for religious matters, one half should be
elected from the commons. Five patricians were elected, and five out of
the plebeians; and by that step the way appeared opened to the
consulship. The commons, content with this victory, yielded to the
patricians, that, all mention of consuls being omitted for the present,
military tribunes should be elected. Those elected were, Aulus and
Marcus Cornelius a second time, Marcus Geganius, Publius Manlius, Lucius
Veturius, and Publius Valerius a sixth time. When, except the siege of
Velitrae, a matter rather of a slow than dubious result, there was no
disquiet from foreign concerns among the Romans; the sudden rumour of a
Gallic war being brought, influenced the state to appoint Marcus Furius
dictator for the fifth time. He named Titus Quinctius Pennus master of
the horse. Claudius asserts that a battle was fought that year with the
Gauls, on the banks of the Anio; and that then the famous battle was
fought on the bridge, in which Titus Manlius, engaging with a Gaul by
whom he had been challenged, slew him in the sight of the two armies and
despoiled him of his chain. But I am induced by the authority of several
writers to believe that those things happened not less than ten years
later; but that in this year a pitched battle was fought with the Gauls
by the dictator, Marcus Furius, in the territory of Alba. The victory
was neither doubtful nor difficult to the Romans, though from the
recollection of the former defeat the Gauls had diffused great terror.
Many thousands of t