[6,69] Ταῦτ´ εἰπὼν ἐπαύσατο. ἐπεὶ δ´ αἱ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων γνῶμαι τῇ Μενηνίου προσέθεντο, καὶ καθῆκεν ὁ λόγος ἐπὶ τοὺς νεωτέρους, ὀρθῆς οὔσης ἁπάσης τῆς βουλῆς ἀνίσταται Σπόριος Ναύτιος, οἰκίας ἐν τοῖς πάνυ λαμπροτάτης διάδοχος· ὁ γὰρ ἡγεμὼν αὐτῶν τοῦ γένους Ναύτιος ἀπὸ τῶν σὺν Αἰνείᾳ στειλάντων τὴν ἀποικίαν, ὃς ἦν Ἀθηνᾶς ἱερεὺς Πολιάδος καὶ τὸ ξόανον ἀπηνέγκατο τῆς θεᾶς μετανιστάμενος, ὃ διεφύλαττον ἄλλοι παρ´ ἄλλων μεταλαμβάνοντες οἱ τοῦ γένους ὄντες τοῦ Ναυτίων· ὃς ἐδόκει καὶ διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρετὴν λαμπρότατος εἶναι τῶν νέων, καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν τῆς ὑπατικῆς ἐξουσίας τεύξεσθαι. ἀρξάμενος δ´ ἀπολογεῖσθαι κοινὴν ἀπολογίαν ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων τῶν νέων, ὡς οὔτε φιλονεικίᾳ τῇ πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας οὔτε αὐθαδείᾳ χρησαμένων, ὅτε τὴν ἐναντίαν ἔσχον ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ βουλῇ προαίρεσιν, ἀλλ´ εἴπερ ἄρα ἡμάρτανον διὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν γνώμῃ σφαλέντων, τελευτῶν ἔφη τὸ πιστὸν τούτου παρέξεσθαι τὴν μεταβολήν. συγχωρεῖν γοῦν αὐτοῖς ὡς ἄμεινον φρονοῦσιν ἐπιψηφίζεσθαι πᾶν, ὅ τι ἂν ἡγῶνται τῷ κοινῷ συμφέρειν, ὡς οὐδὲν σφῶν γε πρὸς ταῦτ´ ἐναντιωσομένων, ἀλλὰ πεισομένων τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις. ὅμοια δὲ τούτῳ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων νέων ἀποφηναμένων ἐκτὸς ὀλίγων τινῶν πάνυ τῶν Ἀππίου συγγενῶν ἐπαινέσαντες τὴν εὐκοσμίαν αὐτῶν οἱ ὕπατοι καὶ παρακαλέσαντες εἰς πάντα τὰ κοινὰ τοιούτους ἑαυτοὺς παρέχειν πρεσβευτὰς εἵλοντο δέκα τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, ἐκτὸς ἑνὸς ἅπαντας ὑπατικούς. οἱ δ´ ἀποδειχθέντες ἦσαν οἵδε· Ἀγρίππας Μενήνιος Γαΐου υἱὸς Λαινάτης, Μάνιος Οὐαλέριος Οὐολούσσου υἱὸς - - - Πόπλιος Σερουίλιος Ποπλίου υἱὸς - - - Πόπλιος Ποστούμιος Κοίντου υἱὸς Τούβερτος, Τῖτος Αἰβούτιος Τίτου υἱὸς Φλαούιος, Σέρβιος Σολπίκιος Ποπλίου υἱὸς Καμερῖνος, Αὖλος Ποστούμιος Ποπλίου υἱὸς Βάλβος, Αὖλος Οὐεργίνιος Αὔλου υἱὸς Καιλιμοντανός. μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς βουλῆς διαλυθείσης οἱ μὲν ὕπατοι προελθόντες εἰς ἐκκλησίαν τὸ δόγμα τῆς βουλῆς ἀνέγνωσαν καὶ τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς παρήγαγον· ἁπάντων δ´ ἀξιούντων τὰς ἐντολάς, ἃς ἔδωκαν αὐτοῖς, μαθεῖν, εἶπον ἐν τῷ φανερῷ, πράττειν, ὅτῳ ἂν τρόπῳ δύνωνται, φιλίαν τῷ δήμῳ συνθέσθαι πρὸς τοὺς πατρικίους ἄτερ δόλου καὶ ἀπάτης καὶ καταγαγεῖν τοὺς φεύγοντας ἐπὶ τὰ σφέτερα ἐν τάχει.

[6,69] (p59) Having said this, he ended. When the opinions of the older senators agreed with that of Menenius and it came to the turn of the younger members to speak, the whole senate being on tip-toe with suspense, Spurius Nautius rose up, the heir of a most illustrious family. For Nautius, the founder of the line, was one of those who took out the colony with Aeneas, being a priest of Athena Polias; and when he removed from Troy, he brought with him the wooden statue of that goddess, which the family of the Nautii guarded thereafter, receiving it in succession one from another. This man was esteemed the most illustrious of all the younger senators for his own merits as well, and it was expected that he would soon obtain the consulship. He began by making a general defence of all the younger senators, declaring that neither a spirit of rivalry towards their elders nor arrogance had induced them to adopt a position opposed to that of the others at the last meeting of the senate, and if they had committed any error, it had been a mistake in judgment due to their youth; and in conclusion he said that they would now give proof of this by changing their opinion. They consented at any rate that the others, as men of better judgment, should decree whatever they thought most conducive to the welfare of the state, assuring them that they, at least, would offer no opposition in this matter, but would follow the advice of their elders. And when all the other younger members made the same declaration, except a very small number who were related to Appius, the consuls commended their dignified behaviour and exhorted p61them to conduct themselves in the same manner in all public matters; after which they chose as envoys ten men who were the most distinguished of the older senators, all but one being former consuls. Those appointed were the following: Agrippa Menenius Lanatus, the son of Gaius, Manius Valerius {Volusus}, the son of Volusus, - - -, Publius Servilius {Priscus}, the son of Publius,- - -, Publius Postumius Tubertus, the son of Quintus, Titus Aebutius Flavus, the son of Titus, Servius Sulpicius Camerinus, the son of Publius, Aulus Postumius Balbus, the son of Publius, and Aulus Verginius Caelimontanus, the son of Aulus. After this, the senate being dismissed, the consuls went to the assembly of the people, and having ordered the decree of the senate to be read, presented the envoys. And as everyone desired to be informed of the instructions which the senate had given them, the consuls declared openly that they had ordered them to reconcile the people to the patricians by any means they could without fraud or deceit and to bring the fugitives home speedily.