he injustice done to them, that the consequence would be that they
would rejoice for having moderated their resentment, and that they
should be convinced that the patricians were equally anxious that no
injustice should arise against them, and that any which may have arisen
should not be lasting." Thus the ambassadors, saying that they should
lay the whole matter anew before their friends, were dismissed
courteously. The patricians, now that the republic was without any
curule magistrate, assembled together and elected an interrex. The
contest whether consuls or military tribunes should be elected, kept the
matter for several days in a state of interregnum. The interrex and
senate strive that the elections of consuls be held; the tribunes of the
people, and the people themselves, that elections of the military
tribunes be held. The patricians succeeded, because both the commons,
sure to confer the one or the other honour on patricians, gave up a
needless contest, and the leaders of the commons preferred those
elections at which no account was to be taken of them (as candidates) to
those at which they should be passed by as unworthy. The tribunes of the
commons also gave up the contest without a decision, as a compliment to
the chiefs of the patricians. Titus Quintius Barbatus, the interrex,
elects consuls Lucius Papirius Mugillanus, Lucius Sempronius Atratinus.
During their consulship, the treaty was renewed with the Ardeans; and
that is a record to prove, that they were consuls in that year, though
they are not to be found among the ancient annals, nor in the books of
the magistrates. I suppose because military tribunes existed at the
commencement of the year, on that account, though these consuls were
substituted, the names of the consuls were left out, just as if the
military tribunes were the entire year in office. Licinius Macer states,
that they were found both in the Ardean treaty and in the linen books at
the temple of Moneta. There was tranquillity both at home and abroad,
though so many alarms were held out by the neighbouring states.

8. This year (whether it had tribunes only, or consuls substituted in
the room of tribunes) is followed by a year when there were undoubtedly
consuls, scil. Marcus Geganius Macerinus a second time, Titus Quintius
Capitolinus a fifth time. This same year was the commencement of the
censorship, a thing which arose from an humble origin, which afterwards
increased so much in importa