[10,50] Ταῦτα δὴ λογιζομένοις τοῖς ἐν ἀρχῇ ὑπάτοις πολὺ παρέστη δέος καὶ τοῦ μὴ ταὐτὰ παθεῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου μετὰ τὴν ὑπατείαν πρόνοια, ὥστ´ οὐκέτι ἀποκρυπτόμενοι τὰς γνώμας, ἀλλὰ φανερῶς τὰ τοῦ δήμου πολιτευόμενοι διετέλουν. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τῆς λοχίτιδος ἐκκλησίας νόμον ἐκύρωσαν, ἵνα ταῖς ἀρχαῖς ἐξῇ πάσαις τοὺς ἀκοσμοῦντας ἢ παρανομοῦντας εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐξουσίαν ζημιοῦν. τέως γὰρ οὐχ ἅπασιν ἐξῆν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ὑπάτοις μόνοις. τὸ μέντοι τίμημα οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῖς ζημιοῦσιν, ὁπόσον εἶναι δεῖ, κατέλιπον, ἀλλ´ αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀξίαν ὥρισαν, μέγιστον ἀποδείξαντες ὅρον ζημίας δύο βοῦς καὶ τριάκοντα πρόβατα. καὶ οὗτος ὁ νόμος ἄχρι πολλοῦ διέμεινεν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων φυλαττόμενος. ἔπειτα περὶ τῶν νόμων, οὓς ἐσπούδαζον οἱ δήμαρχοι κοινοὺς ἐπὶ πᾶσι Ῥωμαίοις γράφειν καὶ εἰς ἅπαντα χρόνον φυλαχθησομένους, διάγνωσιν ἀπέδωκαν τῇ βουλῇ. ἐλέχθησαν μὲν οὖν πολλοί τε καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν κρατίστων ἀνδρῶν εἰς ἀμφότερα καὶ τὸ συγχωρεῖν καὶ τὸ κωλύειν φέροντες λόγοι, ἐνίκα δ´ ἡ τὰ δημοτικώτερα πρὸ τῶν ὀλιγαρχικῶν εἰσάγουσα Τίτου Ῥωμιλίου γνώμη, παρὰ τὴν ἁπάντων δόξαν τῶν τε πατρικίων καὶ τῶν δημοτικῶν γενομένη. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑπελάμβανον πάντα τὰ ἐναντία τοῖς δημοτικοῖς φρονήσειν τε καὶ λέξειν τὸν ἄνδρα νεωστὶ τὴν ἐν τῷ δήμῳ δίκην ἑαλωκότα· ὁ δ´ ἀναστὰς ἐπειδὴ προσῆκεν αὐτῷ γνώμην ἐρωτηθέντι κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τάξιν ἀποκρίνασθαι - ἦν δὲ ἐν τοῖς διὰ μέσου κατά τε ἀξίωσιν καὶ ἡλικίαν - ἔλεξεν·

[10,50] As they thought about these trials the consuls then in office were in no little fear, and they took good care to avoid suffering the same fate at the hands of the populace after the expiration of their consulship; hence they no longer concealed their purposes but openly directed all their measures in the interest of the populace. First, then, they got a law ratified by the centuriate assembly permitting all the magistrates to fine any persons who were guilty of disrespectful conduct or illegal attempts against their authority. For until then none but the consuls possessed (p335) this power. They did not leave the amount of the fine, however, to the discretion of those who should impose it, but limited the sum themselves, making the maximum fine two oxen and thirty sheep. This law long continued in force among the Romans. In the next place, they referred to the consideration of the senate the laws which the tribunes pressed to have drawn up, that should bind all the Romans alike and be observed forever. Many speeches were made on both sides by the best men, some tending to persuade the senate to grant the request and some to oppose it. But the opinion that prevailed was that of Titus Romilius, which supported the interest of the populace against that of the oligarchy, both patricians and plebeians. For they supposed that a man who had recently been condemned by the populace would both think and say everything that was opposed to the plebeians. But he, when it was the proper time for him to speak, that is, when he was called upon to deliver his opinion in his turn — he was of the middle rank in point of both dignity and age — rose up and said: