and commons, consuls, tribunes, citizens, and all classes of
persons, to bring aid with arms in their hands, to run into the Capitol,
to liberate and restore to peace that most august residence of Jupiter,
the best and greatest? O Father Romulus! do thou infuse into thy progeny
that determination of thine, by which you once recovered from these same
Sabines the citadel, when obtained by gold. Order them to pursue this
same path, which thou, as leader, and thy army, pursued. Lo! I, as
consul, shall be the first to follow thee and thy footsteps, as far as a
mortal can follow a god." The close of his speech was: "That he would
take up arms, that he invited every citizen of Rome to arms; if any one
should oppose, that he, [123]forgetful of the consular authority, the
tribunitian power, and the devoting laws, would consider him as an
enemy, whoever he may, wheresoever he may, in the Capitol, or in the
forum. That the tribunes might order arms to be taken up against Publius
Valerius the consul, since they forbid it against Appius Herdonius; that
he would venture to act in that manner in the case of the tribunes, in
which the founder of his family had ventured to act in the case of
kings." It now became apparent that extreme violence was about to take
place, and that a disturbance among the Romans would be exhibited as a
sight to the enemy; the law, however, could neither be prepared, nor
could the consul proceed to the Capitol: night quashed the contest that
had commenced; the tribunes yielded to the night, dreading the arms of
the consuls. The fomenters of the disturbances being removed from
thence, the patricians went about among the commons, and introducing
themselves into their circles of conversation, they introduced
observations suited to the occasion: they advised them "to beware into
what hazard they were bringing the commonwealth; that the contest was
not between the patricians and commons, but that patricians and commons
together, the fortress of the city, the temples of the gods, the
guardian gods of the state and of private families, were being delivered
up to the enemy." Whilst these affairs are going on in the forum for the
purpose of appeasing the disturbances, the consuls in the mean time had
armed the several gates and the walls, lest the Sabines or the Veientian
enemy should make any move.

[Footnote 123: _Forgetful of the consular, &c._--i.e. forgetful of the
limits of the consular authority; acting in the