[5,72] Ἐπαινεσάντων δὲ τὴν γνώμην ἁπάντων μετὰ τοῦτον ἀναστὰς ἕτερος εἶπεν· Ἐμοὶ δ´, ὦ βουλή, δοκεῖ καὶ τοῦτ´ ἔτι προστεθῆναι τῇ γνώμῃ, δυεῖν ἀνδρῶν κρατίστων εἰς τόδε χρόνου τὰ κοινὰ διοικούντων, ὧν οὐκ ἂν εὕροιτε ἀμείνους, τὸν μὲν ἕτερον αὐτῶν κύριον ἀποδειχθῆναι τῆς ἀναρρήσεως, τὸν δ´ ἕτερον ὑπὸ τοῦ συνάρχοντος αἱρεθῆναι διαγνόντων αὐτῶν ἐν ἀλλήλοις τὸν ἐπιτηδειότερον· ἵνα αὐτοῖς περιγένηται σὺν τῷ τιμίῳ καὶ τὸ χαῖρον ἴσον, τῷ μὲν ὅτι τὸν συνάρχοντα κράτιστον ἀπέφηνε, τῷ δ´ ὅτι πρὸς τοῦ συνάρχοντος ἄριστος ἐκρίθη· ἡδὺ γὰρ καὶ καλὸν ἑκάτερον. οἶδα μὲν οὖν, ὅτι καὶ μὴ προστεθέντος τῇ γνώμῃ τοῦδε τοῦ μέρους, αὐτοῖς ἂν ἐφάνη τοῖς ἀνδράσιν οὕτως ποιεῖν· κρεῖττον δὲ τὸ μηδ´ ὑμῶν ἕτερόν τι βουλομένων. ἐδόκει καὶ τοῦτο κατὰ νοῦν ἅπασιν εἰρῆσθαι· καὶ οὐθενὸς ἔτι τῇ γνώμῃ προστεθέντος ἐπικυροῦται τὸ δόγμα. ὡς δὲ παρέλαβον τὴν ἐξουσίαν οἱ ὕπατοι τοῦ διαγνῶναι, πότερος ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄρχειν ἐστὶν ἐπιτηδειότερος, θαυμαστόν τι καὶ παρὰ πάσας τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας ὑπολήψεις πρᾶγμα ἐποίουν. οὐ γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ἑκάτερος ἄξιον ἀπέφαινε τῆς ἡγεμονίας, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἕτερον· καὶ κατέτριψαν ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην τὰς ἀλλήλων ἀρετὰς ἐξαριθμούμενοι καὶ λιπαροῦντες μὴ λαβεῖν αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀρχήν, ὥστε ἐν πολλῇ γενέσθαι τοὺς ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ παρόντας ἀμηχανίᾳ. διαλυθείσης δὲ τῆς βουλῆς οἱ προσήκοντες κατὰ γένος ἑκατέρῳ, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων βουλευτῶν οἱ ἐντιμότατοι πρὸς τὸν Λάρκιον ἀφικόμενοι πολλὰς ἐποιοῦντο τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἄχρι πολλῆς νυκτὸς δεήσεις διδάσκοντες, ὡς ἐν ἐκείνῳ τὰς ἐλπίδας ἡ βουλὴ τέθειται πάσας, καὶ τὸ ἀσπούδαστον αὐτοῦ περὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν πονηρὸν εἶναι τῷ κοινῷ λέγοντες. ὁ δ´ ἦν ἀτενὴς καὶ πολλὰ ἐν μέρει δεόμενός τε καὶ ἀντιβολῶν ἕκαστον διετέλει. τῇ δ´ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ πάλιν τοῦ συνεδρίου συναχθέντος, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τότε διεμάχετο καὶ πειθόμενος ὑπὸ πάντων οὐκ ἀφίστατο τῆς γνώμης, ἀναστὰς ὁ Κλοίλιος ἀναγορεύει τ´ αὐτόν, ὥσπερ εἰώθεσαν ποιεῖν οἱ μεσοβασιλεῖς, καὶ τὴν ὑπατείαν αὐτὸς ἐξόμνυται.

[5,72] This opinion being applauded by all, another senator rose up and said: "I think, senators, this also ought to be added to the motion, namely, (p219) that as two persons of the greatest worth have at present the administration of the public affairs, men whose superiors you could not find, one of them should be empowered to make the nomination and the other should be appointed by his colleague, after they have considered together which of them is the more suitable person, to the end that, as the honour is equal between them, so the satisfaction may be equal also, to the one, in having declared his colleague to be the best man, and to the other, in having been declared the best by his colleague; for each of these things is pleasing and honourable. I know, to be sure, that even if this amendment were not made to the motion, they themselves would have thought proper to act in this manner; but it is better it should appear that you likewise approve of no other course." This proposal also seemed to meet with the approval of all, and the motion was then passed without further amendment. When the consuls had received the authority to decide which of them was the more suitable to command, they did a thing both admirable in itself and passing all human belief. For each of them declared, as worthy of the command, not himself, but the other; and they continued all that day enumerating one another's virtues and begging that they themselves might not receive the command, so that all who were present in the senate were in great perplexity. When the senate had been dismissed, the kinsmen of each and the most honoured among the senators at large came to Larcius and continued to entreat him till far into the night, informing him that the senate had placed all its hopes in him and declaring that his indifference toward the command was prejudicial to the commonwealth. But Larcius (p221) was unmoved, and in his turn continued to address many prayers and entreaties to each of them. The next day, when the senate had again assembled, and he still resisted and, in spite of the advice of all the senators, would not change his mind, Cloelius rose up and nominated him, according to the practice of the interreges, and then abdicated the consulship himself.