[7,18] Μετὰ τοῦτο πολλαὶ καὶ περὶ πολλῶν ἐγίνοντο τοῖς δημάρχοις πρὸς τοὺς ὑπάτους ἀντιλογίαι, καὶ οὔθ´ ὁ δῆμος ὁπόσα ἡ βουλὴ ψηφίσαιτο κύρια ἡγεῖτο, οὔθ´ ὧν ὁ δῆμος γνοίη τῇ βουλῇ φίλον τι ἦν· ἀντιπαρατεταγμένοι δὲ καὶ δι´ ὑποψίας ἔχοντες ἀλλήλους διετέλουν. οὐ μὴν τό γε μῖσος αὐτῶν εἰς ἔργον τι ἀνήκεστον ἐχώρησεν, οἷα ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις φιλεῖ γίνεσθαι ταραχαῖς. οὔτε γὰρ οἱ πένητες ἐπὶ τὰς οἰκίας ὥρμησαν τῶν πλουσίων, ἔνθα ὑπελάμβανόν τινας εὑρήσειν ἀποκειμένας τροφάς, ἢ τὴν ἐν τῷ φανερῷ ἀγορὰν ἁρπάζειν ἐπεβάλοντο, ἀλλ´ ὑπομένοντες ὠνεῖσθαι πολλοῦ διαφόρου μικρά, καὶ ὁπότ´ ἐξαπορηθεῖεν ἀργυρίου τὰς ἐκ γῆς ῥίζας τε καὶ βοτάνας σιτούμενοι ἠνείχοντο· οὔθ´ οἱ πλούσιοι βιασάμενοι τοὺς ἀσθενεστέρους τῇ τ´ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει καὶ τῇ παρὰ τῶν πελατῶν πολλῇ οὔσῃ κατασχεῖν αὐτοὶ τὴν πόλιν ἠξίωσαν τοὺς μὲν ἐξελάσαντες ἐξ αὐτῆς, τοὺς δ´ ἀποκτείναντες, ἀλλὰ διέμενον ὥσπερ οἱ σωφρονέστατα πολιτευόμενοι πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς πατέρες εὐνοούσῃ καὶ κηδομένῃ τῇ ὀργῇ πρὸς τὰς ἁμαρτάδας αὐτῶν χρώμενοι. τοιαύτης δὲ καταστάσεως οὔσης περὶ τὴν Ῥώμην αἱ πλησιόχωροι πόλεις ἐκάλουν τοὺς βουλομένους οἰκεῖν παρὰ σφίσι Ῥωμαίων πολιτείας τε μεταδόσει καὶ ἄλλων φιλανθρώπων ἐλπίσιν ὑπαγόμεναι, αἱ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ βελτίστου δι´ εὔνοιάν τε καὶ ἔλεον τῆς συμφορᾶς, αἱ δὲ πλείους διὰ φθόνον τῆς πάλαι ποτὲ εὐτυχίας. καὶ ἦσαν οἱ ἀπαναστάντες πανοικεσίᾳ καὶ μεταθέμενοι τὰς οἰκήσεις ἑτέρωσε πολλοὶ πάνυ· ὧν οἱ μὲν ἀνέστησαν αὖθις, ἐπειδὴ κατέστη τὰ πράγματα τῆς πόλεως, οἱ δὲ καὶ διέμειναν.

[7,18] After this the tribunes had many controversies (p201) with the consuls over various matters, and not only did the people refuse to recognize as valid the decrees of the senate, but the senate also did not find acceptable anything that the people determined; and both of them continued to be arrayed in hostile camp s and to be suspicious of one another. However, their hatred did not lead to any irreparable mischief, as often happens in like disorders. For, on the one hand, the poor did not attack the houses of the rich, where they suspected they should find stores of provisions laid up, nor attempt to raid the public markets, but consented to buy small quantities for a high price, and when they lacked money, they sustained life by using roots and grass for food. Nor, on the other hand, did the rich, in the confidence of their own strength and that afforded by their clients, who were very numerous, offer violence to the weaker citizens and aim at making themselves masters of the city by driving out some of the poor and putting others to death, but, like those fathers who conduct themselves most prudently toward their sons, they continued to display toward their errors the kind of displeasure that is benevolent and solicitous. While Rome was in this situation, the neighbouring cities invited any of the Romans who so desired to live among them, luring them by the offer of citizenship and the hopes of other kind treatment, some from the best of motives, because of good will and compassion for their misfortune, but the greater part through envy of their former prosperity. And very great numbers did remove with their whole families to live elsewhere, some of whom returned when the affairs of the city were composed, while others remained where they were.