[6,66] Λωφήσαντος δὲ τοῦ θορύβου καὶ σιωπῆς γενομένης σὺν χρόνῳ διαλεχθέντες τι πρὸς αὑτοὺς οἱ ὕπατοι τέλος ἐξήνεγκαν τῆς ἑαυτῶν γνώμης τοιόνδε· Ἡμεῖς, ὦ βουλή, μάλιστα μὲν ἠξιοῦμεν ἅπαντας ὑμᾶς ὁμογνωμονεῖν, ἄλλως τε καὶ ταῦτα περὶ κοινῆς σωτηρίας βουλευομένους· εἰ δὲ μή, τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις ὑμῶν εἴκειν τοὺς νεωτέρους καὶ μὴ φιλονεικεῖν ἐνθυμουμένους, ὅτι κἀκείνοις εἰς ταύτην ἐλθοῦσι τὴν ἡλικίαν τῆς ἴσης ὑπάρξει τυγχάνειν τιμῆς παρὰ τῶν ἐγγόνων. ἐπεὶ δ´ ὁρῶμεν εἰς ἔριν ὑμᾶς ἐκπεπτωκότας ὀλεθριωτάτην τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων νόσων καὶ πολλὴν τὴν αὐθάδειαν ὁμιλοῦσαν ὑμῶν τοῖς νέοις, νῦν μὲν ἐπεὶ βραχὺ τὸ λειπόμενόν ἐστι τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ οὐκ ἂν δύναιτο τέλος ἐν τούτῳ λαβεῖν τὰ δόξαντα ὑμῖν, ἄπιτ´ ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου· εἰς δὲ τὸν ἐπιόντα σύλλογον ἥξετε μετριώτεροι γενόμενοι καὶ γνώμας ἔχοντες ἀμείνους. εἰ δὲ παραμενεῖ τὸ φιλόνεικον ὑμῖν, νέοις μὲν οὔτε δικασταῖς οὔτε συμβούλοις ἔτι τῶν συμφερόντων χρησόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὸ λοιπὸν ἀνείρξομεν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀκοσμίαν νόμῳ τάξαντες ἀριθμὸν ἐτῶν, ὃν δεήσει τοὺς βουλεύσοντας ἔχειν· τοῖς δὲ πρεσβυτέροις ἀποδόντες λόγον αὖθις, ἐὰν μηδὲν συμφέρωνται ταῖς γνώμαις, ταχείᾳ τὴν φιλονεικίαν αὐτῶν λύσομεν ὁδῷ, ἣν ἄμεινόν ἐστιν ὑμᾶς προακοῦσαι καὶ μαθεῖν. ἴστε δήπου νόμον ἡμῖν ὑπάρχοντα, ἐξ οὗ τήνδε οἰκοῦμεν τὴν πόλιν, πάντων εἶναι κυρίαν τὴν βουλήν, πλὴν ἀρχὰς ἀποδεῖξαι καὶ νόμους ψηφίσαι καὶ πόλεμον ἐξενεγκεῖν ἢ τὸν συνεστῶτα καταλύσασθαι· τούτων δὲ τῶν τριῶν τὸν δῆμον ἔχειν τὴν ἐξουσίαν ψῆφον ἐπιφέροντα. ἐν δὲ τῷ παρόντι οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἑτέρου τινὸς ἢ πολέμου καὶ εἰρήνης βουλευόμεθα, ὥστε πολλὴ ἀνάγκη τὸν δῆμον ἐπικυρῶσαι τὰς ἡμετέρας γνώμας ψήφου γενόμενον κύριον. παραγγείλαντες δὴ τῷ πλήθει παρεῖναι κατὰ τόνδε τὸν νόμον εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν, ἐπειδὰν ὑμεῖς ἀποδείξησθε τὰς γνώμας, ἀποδώσομεν αὐτῷ τὴν ψῆφον, οὕτως ἂν μάλιστα νομίσαντες ἀρθῆναι τὴν ἔριν ὑμῶν· ὅ τι δ´ ἂν οἱ πλείους ψηφίσωνται, τοῦθ´ ἡγησόμεθα κύριον. ἄξιοι δὲ δήπου ταύτης εἰσὶ τῆς τιμῆς τυγχάνειν οἱ διαμένοντες εὖνοι τῇ πόλει καὶ μέλλοντες ἰσομοιρεῖν ἡμῖν κακῶν τε καὶ ἀγαθῶν.

[6,66] The tumult being appeased and silence restored at last, the consuls after some consultation together pronounced their decision, as follows: "As for us, senators, what we desired most was that you should all be of one mind, particularly when you were deliberating about the public safety; but if that could not be, then we desired that the younger senators should yield to the older men among you and not contend with them, bearing in mind that when they have come to the same age they will received the same deference from their juniors. But since we observe that you have fallen into strife, the most baneful of all human maladies, and that the arrogance dwelling in the young men among you is great, for the present, since the remaining part of the day is short and there is not time for you to reach a final decision, leave the senate-chamber and go home; and you will come to the next session more (p53) moderate in spirit and with better counsels. But if your contentiousness shall persist, we will no longer make use of young men either as judges or counsellors concerning what is advantageous, but for the future shall restrain their disorderly behaviour by fixing a legal age that senators must have reached. As to the older members, we shall again give them an opportunity of delivering their opinions; and if they do not agreed, we shall put an end to their strife by a speedy method which it is better you should hear of and learn beforehand. You are doubtless aware that we have had a law, as long as we have inhabited this city, by which the senate is invested with sovereign power in everything except the appointing of magistrates, the enacting of laws, and declaring or terminating of wars, and that the power of determining these three matters rests with the people, by their votes. Now at the present time we are discussing nothing other than war or peace, so that there is every necessity that the people should be given the opportunity to vote and confirm our resolutions. We shall therefore summon them to present themselves in the Forum pursuant to this law, and after you have delivered your opinions, we shall take their votes, believing this to be the best means of putting an end to your strife; and whatever the majority of the people shall determine, we shall regard that as valid. this honour, I presume, is deserved by those who have remained loyal to the commonwealth and are to share both out good and bad fortune."