[7,13] Ταῦτα τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις μαθοῦσι τῆς μὲν συμφορᾶς οἶκτος εἰσῄει, καὶ οὐδὲν ᾤοντο δεῖν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἐπὶ τοιαύταις τύχαις μνησικακεῖν, ὡς ἱκανὰς δεδωκόσι τοῖς θεοῖς ὑπὲρ σφῶν δίκας ἀνθ´ ὧν ἔμελλον δράσειν· Οὐελίτρας δὲ παραλαμβάνειν ἐδόκει κληρούχων οὐκ ὀλίγων ἀποστολῇ πολλὰ τὰ συμφέροντα ἐκ τοῦ πράγματος ἐπιλογιζομένοις. τό τε γὰρ χωρίον ἱκανὸν εἶναι ἐφαίνετο φυλακῇ ἀξιόχρεῳ καταληφθὲν οἷς ἂν νεωτερίζειν ἢ παρακινεῖν τι βουλομένοις ᾖ μέγα κώλυμα καὶ ἐμπόδιον εἶναι· ἥ τ´ ἀπορία τῆς τροφῆς ἡ κατέχουσα τὴν πόλιν οὐ παρ´ ὀλίγον μετριωτέρα γενήσεσθαι ὑπωπτεύετο, εἰ μετασταίη τις ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους μοῖρα ἀξιόλογος. μάλιστα δ´ ἡ στάσις ἀναρριπιζομένη, πρὶν ἢ πεπαῦσθαι καλῶς ἔτι τὴν προτέραν, ἐνῆγεν αὐτοὺς ψηφίζεσθαι τὸν ἀπόστολον. πάλιν γάρ, ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον, ὁ δῆμος ἠρεθίζετο καὶ δι´ ὀργῆς εἶχε τοὺς πατρικίους, πολλοί τε καὶ χαλεποὶ κατ´ αὐτῶν ἐγίνοντο λόγοι τῶν μὲν ὀλιγωρίαν ἐγκαλούντων καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πολλοῦ προείδοντο τὴν ἐσομένην τοῦ σίτου σπάνιν καὶ προὐμηχανήσαντο τὰ πρὸς τὴν συμφορὰν ἀλεξήματα, τῶν δ´ ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς ὑπ´ αὐτῶν γεγονέναι τὴν σιτοδείαν ἀποφαινόντων δι´ ὀργήν τε καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν τοῦ κακῶσαι τὸ δημοτικὸν ἀναμνήσει τῆς ἀποστάσεως. διὰ ταύτας μὲν δὴ τὰς αἰτίας ἡ τῶν κληρούχων ἀποστολὴ ταχεῖα ἐγίνετο τριῶν ἀποδειχθέντων ἀνδρῶν ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς ἡγεμόνων. τῷ δήμῳ δὲ κατ´ ἀρχὰς μὲν ἦν ἀσμένῳ τοὺς κληρούχους διαλαγχάνειν ὡς λιμοῦ τ´ ἀπαλλαχθησομένῳ καὶ χώραν οἰκήσοντι εὐδαίμονα· ἔπειτ´ ἐνθυμουμένῳ τὸν λοιμόν, ὃς ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ αὐτὸν ὑποδέχεσθαι πόλει πολὺς γενόμενος τούς τ´ οἰκήτορας διεφθάρκει καὶ δέος παρεῖχε, μὴ καὶ τοὺς ἐποίκους ταὐτὸν ἐργάσηται, μεθίστατο κατὰ μικρὸν εἰς τἀναντία ἡ γνώμη, ὥστ´ οὐ πολλοί τινες ἐφάνησαν οἱ μετέχειν βουλόμενοι τῆς ἀποικίας, ἀλλὰ πολὺ ἐλάττους ὧν ἡ βουλὴ ἐψηφίσατο, καὶ οὗτοι δ´ ἤδη σφῶν αὐτῶν κατεγνώκεσαν ὡς κακῶς βεβουλευμένων καὶ ὑπανεδύοντο τὴν ἔξοδον. κατελήφθη μέντοι τοῦτο τὸ μέρος καὶ τὸ ἄλλο τὸ μὴ ἑκουσίως συναιρόμενον τῆς ἐξόδου ψηφισαμένης τῆς βουλῆς ἐξ ἁπάντων γενέσθαι Ῥωμαίων κλήρῳ τὴν ἔξοδον, κατὰ δὲ τῶν λαχόντων, εἰ μὴ ἐξίοιεν, χαλεπὰς καὶ ἀπαραιτήτους θεμένης ζημίας. οὗτός τε δὴ ὁ στόλος εἰς Οὐελίτρας εὐπρεπεῖ ἀνάγκῃ καταληφθεὶς ἀπεστάλη, καὶ ἕτερος αὖθις οὐ πολλαῖς ἡμέραις ὕστερον εἰς Νώρβαν πόλιν, ἥ ἐστι τοῦ Λατίνων ἔθνους οὐκ ἀφανής.

[7,13] When the Romans learned of this, they felt compassion for their misfortunes and thought they ought to retain no resentment against their enemies when under so severe an affliction, since they had sufficiently atoned to the gods for what they had been intending to do. As to the city of Velitrae, they (p185) thought proper to accept it and to send a large colony thither, in consideration of the many advantages that would result to them from that measure. For the place itself, if occupied by an adequate garrison, seemed capable of proving a serious check and hindrance to the designs of any who might be disposed to begin a rebellion or create any disturbance, and it was expected that the scarcity of provisions under which the city then laboured would be far less serious if a considerable part of the citizens removed elsewhere. But, above all other considerations, the sedition which was now flaring up again, before the former one was as yet satisfactorily appeased, induced them to vote to send out the colony. For once more the plebeians were becoming inflamed, as before, and growing exasperated against the patricians, were uttering many harsh words against them, some accusing them of neglect and indolence in not having long foreseen the scarcity of corn that was to occur, and taken the necessary precautions to avert the calamity, and others declaring that the scarcity had been brought about by their contrivance, because of their resentment and a desire to injure the plebeians when they remembered their secession. For these reasons the colony was sent out promptly, three persons being appointed by the senate to be the leaders of it. The plebeians were pleased at first that lands were to be allotted to colonists, since they would thus be freed from the famine and inhabit a fertile country; but afterwards, when they bethought themselves of the pestilence which had raged violently in the city that was to receive them and had not only destroyed the inhabitants, but gave (p187) room to fear that it would treat the new settlers in the same manner, their feelings were gradually reversed. Consequently those who offered themselves to join the colony were not many, but far fewer than the senate had decreed; and these, moreover, were already blaming themselves for having been ill advised and were endeavouring to avoid going out. However, this element was included and likewise the others who had not willingly joined the colony, the senate having ordered that all the Romans should draw lots for completing the colony, and having fixed severe and inexorable penalties for those upon whom the lot fell, if they did not go. This colony, then, was sent to Velitrae after being recruited by a specious compulsion; and not many days after another colony was sent to Norba, which is no mean city of the Latins.