[7,37] Μετὰ τοῦθ´ οἱ μὲν ὕπατοι συναγαγόντες τὴν βουλὴν ἐσκόπουν ἐφ´ ἡσυχίας, τίς ἂν γένοιτο τῆς παρούσης ταραχῆς λύσις. καὶ ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς πρῶτον μὲν ἀποθεραπεῦσαι τοὺς δημότας, εὐώνους πάνυ καὶ λυσιτελεῖς ποιήσαντας αὐτοῖς τὰς ἀγοράς· ἔπειτα πείθειν τοὺς προεστηκότας αὐτῶν χάριτι τῆς βουλῆς παύσασθαι καὶ μὴ παράγειν τὸν Μάρκιον, εἰ δὲ μὴ πείθοιεν εἰς μακροτάτους ἀναβάλλεσθαι χρόνους, ἕως ἂν μαρανθῶσιν αἱ τῶν πολλῶν ὀργαί. ταῦτα ψηφισάμενοι τὸ μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀγορᾶς δόγμα εἰς τὸν δῆμον ἐξήνεγκαν καὶ πάντων ἐπαινεσάντων ἐκύρωσαν. ἦν δὲ τοιόνδε· Τὰς τιμὰς εἶναι τῶν ὠνίων τῶν πρὸς τὸν καθ´ ἡμέραν βίον, αἵτινες ἐγένοντ´ ἐλάχισται πρὸ τῆς ἐμφυλίου στάσεως. παρὰ δὲ τῶν δημάρχων πολλὰ λιπαρήσαντες τὴν μὴν ὁλοσχερῆ πάρεσιν οὐχ εὕροντο, τὴν δ´ εἰς χρόνον ὅσον ἠξίουν ἀναβολὴν ἔλαβον· αὐτοί τε προσεμηχανήσαντο διατριβὴν ἑτέραν ἀφορμῇ τοιᾷδε χρησάμενοι. τοὺς ἐκ Σικελίας ἀποσταλέντας ὑπὸ τοῦ τυράννου πρέσβεις καὶ παρακομίσαντας τῷ δήμῳ τὴν τοῦ σίτου δωρεὰν ἀποπλέοντας οἴκαδε Ἀντιάται πειρατήριον στείλαντες κατήγαγον ἀποσαλεύοντας οὐ πρόσω τῶν λιμένων καὶ τά τε χρήματ´ αὐτῶν ὡς πολεμίων δι´ ὠφελείας ἔθεντο, καὶ τὰ σώματα κατακλείσαντες εἶχον ἐν φυλακῇ. ταῦτα μαθόντες οἱ ὕπατοι ἔξοδον ἐψηφίσαντο ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀντιάτας, ἐπειδὴ πρεσβευομένοις αὐτοῖς οὐδὲν ἠξίουν τῶν δικαίων ποιεῖν· καὶ ποιησάμενοι τῶν ἐν ἀκμῇ κατάλογον ἐξῄεσαν ἀμφότεροι, ψήφισμα κυρώσαντες ὑπὲρ ἀναβολῆς τῶν τ´ ἰδίων καὶ τῶν δημοσίων δικῶν, ὅσον ἂν χρόνον ὦσιν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις. ἐγένετο δ´ οὗτος οὐχ ὅσον ὑπέλαβον, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ ἐλάττων. οἱ γὰρ Ἀντιάται μαθόντες ἐξεστρατευμένους πανδημεὶ Ῥωμαίους οὐδὲ τὸν ἐλάχιστον ἀντέσχον χρόνον, δεόμενοι δὲ καὶ λιπαροῦντες τά τε σώματα τῶν ἁλόντων Σικελιωτῶν ἀπέδοσαν καὶ τὰ χρήματα, ὥστ´ ἠναγκάσθησαν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀναστρέψαι.

[7,37] After this the consuls assembled at the senate and considered with them at leisure by what means the present disturbance might be allayed. And they resolved, first, to win over the plebeians by selling the provisions to them at a very cheap and low price; and in the next place, to endeavour to prevail (p251) upon their leaders to desist from their purpose, as a favour to the senate, and not to bring Marcius to a trial; or, if they would not do this, to put it off to the most distant time possible, till the angry feelings of the multitude should die down. Having passed these votes, they laid their decree relating to the provision before the popular assembly, and, as all praised it, they secured its ratification. It was to this effect: that the prices of commodities necessary for daily subsistence should be the lowest they had ever been before the civil strife. But from the tribunes, in spite of many entreaties, they were unable to obtain an absolute dismissal of the charges against Marcius, though they did get a postponement of his trial for as long a time as they asked. And they themselves contrived another delay by taking advantage of the following situation: When the ambassadors sent from Sicily by the tyrant had delivered to the people his present of corn to them, and having sailed for home, were now lying at anchor not far from the harbours of Antium, the Antiates, sending out a piratical force, brought them into port and not only treated their effects as booty taken from an enemy, but also imprisoned the men themselves and kept them under guard. The consuls, being informed of this, caused a vote to be passed to make an expedition against the Antiates, since, when the Romans sent ambassadors to them, they had refused to offer any satisfaction; and having raised an army consisting of all who were of military age, both consuls took the field, after getting a decree of the senate ratified for the suspension of all private and public suits for as long a time as they should continue under arms. This, however, was not so long a time as they had expected, but much shorter. (p253) For the Antiates, hearing that the Romans had set out against them with all their forces, did not resist for even the briefest time, but having recourse to prayers and entreaties, delivered up both the persons of the Sicilians whom they had taken and their effects also, with the result that the Romans were under the necessity of returning to the city.