[10,32] Μετὰ τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον συναχθείσης τῆς βουλῆς οἱ μὲν ὕπατοι κατηγορίαν πολλὴν τῶν δημάρχων ἐποιήσαντο· παραλαβὼν δὲ τὸν λόγον ὁ Ἰκίλλιος περί τε τῆς εἰς τὸν ὑπηρέτην ὀργῆς ἀπελογεῖτο τοὺς ἱεροὺς προφερόμενος νόμους, καθ´ οὓς οὔτε ἄρχοντι οὔτ´ ἰδιώτῃ συνεχωρεῖτο πράττειν οὐδὲν ἐναντίον δημάρχῳ, καὶ περὶ τοῦ συγκαλεῖν τὴν βουλὴν ἐδίδασκεν, ὡς οὐθὲν εἴη πεποιηκὼς ἄτοπον, πολλοὺς καὶ παντοδαποὺς εἰς τοῦτο παρασκευασάμενος λόγους. ὡς δ´ ἀπελύσατο ταύτας τὰς κατηγορίας, τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ λόφου νόμον εἰσέφερεν. ἦν δὲ τοιόσδε· Ὅσα μὲν ἰδιῶταί τινες εἶχον ἐκ τοῦ δικαίου κτησάμενοι, ταῦτα τοὺς κυρίους κατέχειν· ὅσα δὲ βιασάμενοί τινες ἢ κλοπῇ λαβόντες ᾠκοδομήσαντο, κομισαμένους τὰς δαπάνας, ἃς ἂν οἱ διαιτηταὶ γνῶσι, τῷ δήμῳ παραδιδόναι· τὰ δὲ ἄλλα, ὅσα ἦν δημόσια, χωρὶς ὠνῆς τὸν δῆμον παραλαβόντα διελέσθαι. ἐδίδασκέ τε, ὅτι τοῦτο τὸ πολίτευμα εἰς πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα συνοίσει τῇ πόλει, μάλιστα δὲ εἰς τὸ μὴ στασιάζειν ἔτι περὶ τῆς δημοσίας χώρας τοὺς πένητας, ἣν οἱ πατρίκιοι κατεῖχον. ἀγαπήσειν γὰρ αὐτοὺς τῆς πόλεως λαχόντας μέρος, ἐπειδὴ τῆς χώρας οὐκ ἔξεστι διὰ τοὺς ἐσφετερισμένους αὐτὴν πολλοὺς ὄντας καὶ δυνατούς. τοιούτων ῥηθέντων ὑπ´ αὐτοῦ λόγων ὁ μὲν ἀντιλέγων Γάιος Κλαύδιος ἦν μόνος, οἱ δὲ συγκαταινοῦντες πολλοί, καὶ ἔδοξε διδόναι τῷ δήμῳ τὸν τόπον. μετὰ τοῦτο ἱεροφαντῶν τε παρόντων καὶ οἰωνοσκόπων καὶ ἱεροποιῶν δυεῖν καὶ ποιησαμένων τὰς νομίμους εὐχάς τε καὶ ἀρὰς ἐν τῇ λοχίτιδι ἐκκλησίᾳ συναχθείσῃ ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπάτων ὁ νόμος ἐκυρώθη, ὅς ἐστιν ἐν στήλῃ χαλκῇ γεγραμμένος, ἣν ἀνέθεσαν ἐν τῷ Αὐεντίνῳ κομίσαντες εἰς τὸ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερόν. κυρωθέντος δὲ τοῦ νόμου συνελθόντες οἱ δημοτικοὶ τά τε οἰκόπεδα διελάγχανον καὶ κατῳκοδόμουν ὅσον ἕκαστοι τόπον δυνηθεῖεν ἀπολαμβάνοντες. εἰσὶ δ´ οἳ σύνδυο καὶ σύντρεις καὶ ἔτι πλείους συνιόντες οἰκίαν κατεσκευάζοντο μίαν ἑτέρων μὲν τὰ κατάγεια λαγχανόντων, ἑτέρων δὲ τὰ ὑπερῷα. ὁ μὲν οὖν ἐνιαυτὸς ἐκεῖνος εἰς τὰς κατασκευὰς τῶν οἰκήσεων ἐδαπανήθη.

[10,32] After this action the senate was assembled and the consuls indulged in many accusations against the tribunes. Then Icilius took the floor and attempted to justify the tribunes' resentment against the lictor, citing the sacred laws which did not permit either a magistrate or a private citizen to offer any opposition to a tribune; and as for his attempt to convene the senate, he showed them that he had done nothing out of the way, using for this purpose many arguments of every sort, which he had prepared beforehand. After answering these accusations, he proceeded to introduce his law concerning the hill. It was to this effect: All the parcels of land held by private citizens, if justly acquired, should remain (p277) in the possession of the owners, but such parcels as had been taken by force or fraud by any persons and built upon should be turned over to the populace and the present occupants reimbursed for their expenditures according to the appraisal of the arbitrators; all the remainder, belonging to the public, the populace should receive free of cost and divide up among themselves. He also pointed out that this measure would be advantageous to the commonwealth, not only in many other ways, but particularly in this, that it would put an end to the disturbances raised by the poor concerning the public land that was held by the patricians. For he said they would be contented with receiving a portion of the city, inasmuch as they could have no part of the land lying in the country because of the number and power of those who had appropriated it. After he had spoken thus, Gaius Claudius was the only person who opposed the law, while many gave their assent; and it was voted to give this district to the populace. Later, at a centuriate assembly called by the consuls, the pontiffs being present together with the augurs and two sacrificers and offering the customary vows and imprecations, the law was ratified. It is inscribed on a column of bronze, which they set up on the Aventine after taking it into the sanctuary of Diana. When the law had been ratified, the plebeians assembled, and after drawing lots for the plots of ground, began to build, each man taking as large an area as he could; and sometimes two, three, or even more joined together to build one house, and drawing lots, some had the lower and others the upper stories. That year, then, was employed in building houses.