[4,20] Τοῦτον δὲ τὸν τρόπον ἅπαν ἐπιθεὶς τὸ βάρος τοῖς πλουσίοις τῶν τε κινδύνων καὶ τῶν ἀναλωμάτων, ὡς εἶδεν ἀγανακτοῦντας αὐτούς, δι´ ἑτέρου τρόπου τήν τ´ ἀθυμίαν αὐτῶν παρεμυθήσατο καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν ἐπράυνε πλεονέκτημα δωρησάμενος, ἐξ οὗ πάσης ἔμελλον τῆς πολιτείας ἔσεσθαι κύριοι, τοὺς πένητας ἀπελάσας ἀπὸ τῶν κοινῶν· καὶ τοῦτο διαπραξάμενος ἔλαθε τοὺς δημοτικούς. ἦν δὲ τὸ πλεονέκτημα περὶ τὰς ἐκκλησίας, ἐν αἷς τὰ μέγιστα ἐπεκυροῦτο ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου. εἴρηται δέ μοι καὶ πρότερον, ὅτι τριῶν πραγμάτων ὁ δῆμος ἐκ τῶν παλαιῶν νόμων κύριος ἦν τῶν μεγίστων τε καὶ ἀναγκαιοτάτων, ἀρχὰς ἀποδεῖξαι τάς τε κατὰ πόλιν καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ στρατοπέδου, καὶ νόμους τοὺς μὲν ἐπικυρῶσαι, τοὺς δ´ ἀνελεῖν, καὶ περὶ πολέμου συνισταμένου τε καὶ καταλυομένου διαγνῶναι. τὴν δὲ περὶ τούτων διάσκεψιν καὶ κρίσιν ἐποιεῖτο κατὰ τὰς φράτρας ψηφοφορῶν· καὶ ἦσαν οἱ τἀλάχιστα κεκτημένοι τοῖς τὰς μεγίστας ἔχουσιν οὐσίας ἰσόψηφοι· ὀλίγων δ´ ὄντων, ὥσπερ εἰκός, τῶν πλουσίων, οἱ πένητες ἐν ταῖς ψηφοφορίαις ἐπεκράτουν μακρῷ πλείους ὄντες ἐκείνων. τοῦτο συνιδὼν ὁ Τύλλιος ἐπὶ τοὺς πλουσίους μετέθηκε τὸ τῶν ψήφων κράτος. ὁπότε γὰρ ἀρχὰς ἀποδεικνύειν ἢ περὶ νόμου διαγινώσκειν ἢ πόλεμον ἐκφέρειν δόξειεν αὐτῷ, τὴν λοχῖτιν ἀντὶ τῆς φρατρικῆς συνῆγεν ἐκκλησίαν. ἐκάλει δ´ εἰς ἀπόφασιν γνώμης πρώτους μὲν λόχους τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ μεγίστου τιμήματος καταγραφέντας, ἐν οἷς ἦσαν οἵ τε τῶν ἱππέων ὀκτωκαίδεκα καὶ οἱ τῶν πεζῶν ὀγδοήκοντα. οὗτοι τρισὶ πλείους ὄντες τῶν ὑπολειπομένων εἰ ταὐτὸ φρονήσειαν, ἐκράτουν τῶν ἑτέρων καὶ τέλος εἶχεν ἡ γνώμη· εἰ δὲ μὴ γένοιντο ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς προαιρέσεως ἅπαντες οὗτοι, τότε τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ δευτέρου τιμήματος εἴκοσι καὶ δύο λόχους ἐκάλει. μερισθεισῶν δὲ καὶ τότε τῶν ψήφων τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ τρίτου τιμήματος ἐκάλει· καὶ τετάρτους τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ τετάρτου τιμήματος. καὶ τοῦτ´ ἐποίει μέχρι τοῦ γενέσθαι λόχους ἑπτὰ καὶ ἐνενήκοντα ἰσοψήφους. εἰ δὲ μέχρι τῆς πέμπτης κλήσεως μὴ τύχοι τοῦτο γενόμενον, ἀλλ´ εἰς ἴσα μέρη σχισθεῖεν αἱ τῶν ἑκατὸν ἐνενήκοντα δύο λόχων γνῶμαι, τότε τὸν ἔσχατον ἐκάλει λόχον, ἐν ᾧ τὸ τῶν ἀπόρων καὶ διὰ τοῦτ´ ἀφειμένων ἁπάσης στρατείας τε καὶ εἰσφορᾶς πολιτῶν πλῆθος ἦν· ὁποτέρᾳ δὲ προσθοῖτο τῶν μερίδων οὗτος ὁ λόχος, αὕτη τὸ κράτος ἐλάμβανε. τοῦτο δ´ ἦν σπάνιον καὶ οὐ μακρὰν ἀπέχον τἀδυνάτου. τὰ πολλὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς πρώτης κλήσεως τέλος ἐλάμβανεν, ὀλίγα δὲ μέχρι τῆς τετάρτης προὔβαινεν· ἡ δὲ πέμπτη κλῆσις καὶ ἡ τελευταία παρείλκοντο.

[4,20] Having by this means laid upon the rich the whole burden of both the dangers and expenses and observing that they hand discontented, he contrived by another method to relieve their uneasiness and mitigate their resentment by granting to them an advantage which would make them complete masters of the commonwealth, while he excluded the poor from any part in the government; and he effected this without the plebeians noticing it. This advantage that he gave to the rich related to the assemblies, where the matters of greatest moment were ratified by the people. I have already said before40 that by the ancient laws the people had control over the three most important and vital matters: they elected the magistrates, both civil (p333) and military; they sanctioned and repealed laws; and they declared war and made peace. In discussing and deciding these matters they voted by curiae, and citizens of the smallest means had an equal vote with those of the greatest; but as the rich were few in number, as may well be supposed, and the poor much more numerous, the latter carried everything by a majority of votes. Tullius, observing this, transferred this preponderance of votes from the poor to the rich. For whenever he thought proper to have magistrates elected, a law considered, or war to be declared, he assembled the people by centuries instead of by curiae. And the first centuries that he called to express their opinion41 were those with the highest rating, consisting of the eighteen centuries of cavalry and the eighty centuries of infantry. As these centuries amounted to three more than all the rest together, if they agreed they prevailed over the others and the matter was decided. But in case these were not all of the same mind, then he called the twenty-two centuries of the second class; and if the votes were still divided, he called the centuries of the third class, and, in the fourth place, those of the fourth class; and this he continued to do till ninety-seven centuries concurred in the same opinion. And if after the calling of the fifth class this had not yet happened but the opinions of the hundred and ninety-two centuries were equally divided, he then called the last century, consisting (p335) of the mass of the citizens who were poor and for that reason exempt from all military service and taxes; and whichever side this century joined, that side carried the day. But this seldom happened and was next to impossible. Generally the when was determined by calling the first class, and it rarely went as far as the fourth; so that the fifth and the last were superfluous.