[7,38] Διαλυθείσης δὲ τῆς στρατιᾶς ὁ μὲν Σικίννιος ὁ δήμαρχος συναγαγὼν τὸ πλῆθος εἰς ἐκκλησίαν προεῖπεν ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ συντελεῖν ἔμελλε τὴν περὶ τοῦ Μαρκίου κρίσιν· καὶ παρεκάλει τούς τε κατὰ πόλιν ὑπάρχοντας ἀθρόους ἥκειν ἐπὶ τὴν διάγνωσιν τῆς δίκης καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγρῶν διατρίβοντας ἀφεμένους τῶν ἔργων εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμέραν ἀπαντᾶν, ὡς ὑπὲρ ἐλευθερίας καὶ σωτηρίας ὅλης τῆς πόλεως τὴν ψῆφον ἀναληψομένους· παρήγγελλε δὲ καὶ τῷ Μαρκίῳ παρεῖναι πρὸς τὴν ἀπολογίαν ὡς οὐδενὸς ἀτυχήσοντι τῶν περὶ τὰς κρίσεις νομίμων. τοῖς δ´ ὑπάτοις ἐδόκει βουλευσαμένοις μετὰ τοῦ συνεδρίου μὴ περιορᾶν τὸν δῆμον ἐξουσίας τηλικαύτης κύριον γενόμενον. εὕρητο δ´ αὐτοῖς τῆς κωλύσεως ἀφορμὴ δικαία καὶ νόμιμος, ᾗ χρώμενοι πάντα διαλύσειν ᾤοντο τὰ τῶν ἀντιδίκων βουλεύματα. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο παρεκάλεσαν εἰς λόγους ἐλθεῖν τοὺς προεστηκότας τοῦ δήμου συνόντων αὐτοῖς τῶν ἐπιτηδείων. καὶ ἔλεξε Μηνύκιος τοιάδε· Ἡμῖν, ὦ δήμαρχοι, δοκεῖ χρῆναι τὴν στάσιν ἐξελαύνειν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἁπάσῃ δυνάμει καὶ μὴ φιλονεικεῖν ἐναντία τῷ δήμῳ περὶ μηδενὸς χρήματος· μάλιστα δ´ ὅταν ὁρῶμεν ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν βιαίων ἐπὶ τὰ δίκαια καὶ τοὺς λόγους ἥκοντας. ταύτης μέντοιγε τῆς γνώμης ἐπαινοῦντες ὑμᾶς τὴν βουλὴν οἰόμεθα δεῖν ἄρξαι προβούλευμα ποιησαμένην, ὥσπερ ἐστὶν ἡμῖν πάτριον. δύναισθε δ´ ἂν καὶ αὐτοὶ τοῦτο μαρτυρεῖν, ὅτι, ἐξ οὗ τήνδε τὴν πόλιν ἔκτισαν ἡμῶν οἱ πρόγονοι, τοῦτο τὸ γέρας ἔχουσα ἡ βουλὴ διατετέλεκε, καὶ οὐθὲν πώποτε ὁ δῆμος, ὅ τι μὴ προβουλεύσειεν ἡ βουλή, οὔτ´ ἐπέκρινεν οὔτ´ ἐπεψήφισεν, οὐχ ὅτι νῦν, ἀλλ´ οὐδ´ ἐπὶ τῶν βασιλέων {τὰ δ´}, ἀλλ´ ὅσα τῷ συνεδρίῳ δόξειε, ταῦθ´ οἱ βασιλεῖς εἰς τὸν δῆμον ἐκφέροντες ἐπεκύρουν. μὴ δὴ τοῦτ´ ἀφαιρεῖσθε τὸ δίκαιον ἡμῶν, μηδὲ ἀρχαῖον καλὸν ἔθος ἀφανίζετε· διδάξαντες δὲ τὸ συνέδριον, ὅτι δικαίου δεῖσθε καὶ μετρίου πράγματος, ὅτι ἂν ἐκείνῳ δοκῇ, τούτου τὸν δῆμον ἀποδείξατε κύριον.

[7,38] The army having been disbanded, Sicinius the tribune assembled the populace and announced the day on which he proposed of hold the trial of Marcius. he urged not only the citizens who lived at Rome to come en masse to decide this cause, but also those who resided in the country to leave their tasks the be present on the same day, intimating that they would be giving their votes for the liberty and the safety of the whole commonwealth. He summoned Marcius also to appear and make his defence, assuring him that he should be deprived of none of the privileges the law allowed in connection with trials. In the mean time the consuls, after they had consulted the senate, resolved not to permit the people to get control of so great power. They had found out a just and legal means of preventing it, by which they expected to defeat all the designs of their adversaries. After this they invited the leaders of the people to a conference, at which their friends also were present; and Minucius poke as follows: "It is our opinion, tribunes, that we ought to endeavour with all our power to banish this sedition from the state and not to engage in rivalry with the people over any matter, especially when we see that you have turned from violent methods to just measures and to debate. (p255) But however commendable we may think this resolution of yours, we are of the opinion that the senate ought to take the initiative by passing a preliminary decree, as is our traditional practice. For you yourselves can testify (p4) that from the time our ancestors founded this city the senate has always possessed this prerogative and that the people never determined or voted anything without a previous resolution of the senate, not only now, but even under the kings; for the kings laid the resolutions of the senate before the popular assembly to be ratified. Do not, then, deprive us of this right nor abolish this ancient and excellent custom; but showing the senate that you desire a just and reasonable thing, do you grant the people authority to ratify any decree the senate shall pass."