[6,39] Ταῦτ´ εἰπόντος Ἀππίου καὶ τῶν νέων ἐπιθορυβησάντων ὡς τὰ δέοντα εἰσηγουμένου, Σερουίλιός τ´ ἀντιλέξων ἀνέστη καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς τῶν πρεσβυτέρων· ἡττῶντο δ´ ὑπὸ τῶν νεωτέρων ἐκ παρασκευῆς τ´ ἀφικνουμένων καὶ βίᾳ πολλῇ χρωμένων, καὶ πέρας ἐνίκησεν ἡ Ἀππίου γνώμη. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα οἱ ὕπατοι κοινῇ γνώμῃ χρησάμενοι τῶν πλείστων οἰομένων τὸν Ἄππιον ἀποδειχθήσεσθαι δικτάτορα, ὡς μόνον ἐπικρατῆσαι τῆς προστασίας δυνησόμενον, ἐκεῖνον μὲν ἀπήλασαν, Μάνιον δ´ Οὐαλέριον ἀδελφὸν Ποπλίου Οὐαλερίου τοῦ πρώτου ὑπατεύσαντος καὶ δημοτικώτατον δοκοῦντα ἔσεσθαι καὶ ἄνδρα γηραιὸν ἀπέδειξαν, αὐτὸ τὸ φοβερὸν οἰόμενοι τῆς ἐξουσίας ἀποχρῆναι, ἀνδρὸς δὲ τὰ πάντα ἐπιεικοῦς τοῖς πράγμασι δεῖν, ἵνα μηδὲν ἐξεργάσηται νεώτερον.

[6,39] This speech of Appius was received by the young senators with tumultuous applause, as proposing just the measures that were needed; but (p355) Servilius and some others of the older senators rose up to oppose it. They were defeated, however, by the younger men, who arrived for that very purpose and used much violence; and at last the motion of Appius carried. After this, when most people expected that Appius would be appointed dictator as the only person who would be capable of quelling the sedition, the consuls, acting with one mind, excluded him and appointed Manius Valerius, a brother of Publius Valerius, the first man to be made consul, who, it was thought, would be most favourable to the people and moreover was an old man. For they thought the terror alone of the dictator's power was sufficient, and that the present situation required a person equitable in all respects, that he might occasion no fresh disturbances.