to his orders, while the rites of religion were imperfectly
executed, and the auspices uncertain. Whether the majesty of the supreme
authority was to be perpetual or not, depended not on him; but Lucius
Papirius would not diminish aught of its rights. He wished that the
tribunitian office, inviolate itself, would not by its interposition
violate the authority of the Roman government; nor the Roman people, to
their own detriment particularly, annihilate the dictator and the rights
of the dictatorship together. But if this should be the case, not Lucius
Papirius but the tribunes and the people would be blamed by posterity in
vain; when military discipline being once dissolved, the soldier would
no longer obey the orders of the centurion, the centurion those of the
tribune, the tribune those of the lieutenant-general, the
lieutenant-general those of the consul, nor the master of the horse
those of the dictator. No one would then pay any deference to men, no,
nor even to the gods. Neither edicts of generals nor auspices would be
observed. The soldiers, without leave of absence, would straggle at
random through the lands of friends and of foes; and regardless of their
oath would, influenced solely by a wanton humour, quit the service
whenever they might choose. The standards would be unattended and
forsaken: the men would neither assemble in pursuance of orders, nor
would any distinction be made as to fighting by night or by day, on
favourable or unfavourable ground, by order or without the the orders of
the general; nor would they observe standards or ranks; the service,
instead of being solemn and sacred, would be confused and the result of
mere chance, like that of freebooters. Render yourselves then, tribunes
of the commons, accountable for all these evils to all future ages.
Expose your own persons to these heavy imputations in defence of the
licentious conduct of Quintus Fabius."

35. The tribunes now confounded, and more anxiously concerned at their
own situation than at his for whom their support was sought, were freed
from this embarrassment by the Roman people unanimously having recourse
to prayers and entreaties, that the dictator would, for their sakes,
remit the punishment of the master of the horse. The tribunes likewise,
following the example set them of employing entreaties, earnestly
beseech the dictator to pardon human error, to consider the immaturity
of the offender's age; that he had suffered sufficientl