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Quote of the day: Urgulania's influence, however, was so f
Notes
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History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) by Livy
Translated by Rev. Canon Roberts
Book V Chapter 9: War with Veii. New Consular Tribunes.[402 BC]
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The leaders of the senate gave it as their opinion that whether it was through the fault or the misfortune of the commanders that such a disgraceful defeat had been incurred, they ought not to wait until the regular time for the elections, but proceed at once to appoint new consular tribunes, to enter office on October 1. On their proceeding to vote on this proposal, the other consular tribunes offered no opposition, but strange to say, Sergius and Verginius -- the very men on whose account obviously the senate were dissatisfied with the magistrates for that year -- after protesting against such humiliation, vetoed the resolution. They declared that they would not resign office before December 13, the usual day for new magistrates to take office. On hearing this, the tribunes of the plebs, who had maintained a reluctant silence while the State was enjoying concord and prosperity, now made a sudden attack upon the consular tribunes, and threatened, if they did not bow to the authority of the senate, to order them to be imprisoned. There upon Gaius Servilius Ahala, the consular tribune, replied: "As for you and your menaces, tribunes of the plebs, I should very much like to put it to the proof how your threats possess as little legality as you possess courage to carry them out, but it is wrong to storm against the authority of the senate. Cease, therefore, to look for a chance of making mischief by meddling in our disputes; either my colleagues will act upon the senate's resolution, or if they persist in their obstinacy, I shall at once nominate a dictator that he may compel them to resign." This speech was received with universal approval, and the senate were glad to find that without bringing in the bugbear of the plebeian tribunes' power, another and a more effectual method existed for bringing pressure to bear on the magistrates. In deference to the universal feeling, the two recalcitrant tribunes held an election for consular tribunes who entered office on October 1, they themselves having previously resigned office.

Event: Siege of Veii, 402 BC

Primores patrum siue culpa siue infelicitate imperatorum tam ignominiosa clades accepta esset censuere non exspectandum iustum tempus comitiorum, sed extemplo nouos tribunos militum creandos esse, qui kalendis Octobribus magistratum occiperent. In quam sententiam cum pedibus iretur, ceteri tribuni militum nihil contradicere; at enimuero Sergius Verginiusque, propter quos paenitere magistratuum eius anni senatum apparebat, primo deprecari ignominiam, deinde intercedere senatus consulto, negare se ante idus Decembres, sollemnem ineundis magistratibus diem, honore abituros esse. Inter haec tribuni plebis, cum in concordia hominum secundisque rebus ciuitatis inuiti silentium tenuissent, feroces repente minari tribunis militum, nisi in auctoritate senatus essent, se in uincla eos duci iussuros esse. Tum C. Seruilius Ahala tribunus militum: "quod ad uos attinet, tribuni plebis, minasque uestras, ne ego libenter experirer quam non plus in iis iuris quam in uobis animi esset; sed nefas est tendere aduersus auctoritatem senatus. Proinde et uos desinite inter nostra certamina locum iniuriae quaerere, et collegae aut facient quod censet senatus, aut si pertinacius tendent, dictatorem extemplo dicam qui eos abire magistratu cogat." cum omnium adsensu comprobata oratio esset, gauderentque patres sine tribuniciae potestatis terriculis inuentam esse aliam uim maiorem ad coercendos magistratus, uicti consensu omnium comitia tribunorum militum habuere qui kalendis Octobribus magistratum occiperent, seque ante eam diem magistratu abdicauere.