[10,58] Πολλῶν δὲ λεχθέντων ἐνίκησεν ἡ γνώμη τῶν παραινούντων δεκαδαρχίαν αὖθις ἀποδεῖξαι τῶν κοινῶν κυρίαν. ἀτελής τε γὰρ ἡ νομοθεσία ἐφαίνετο, ὡς ἂν ἐξ ὀλίγου συντεθεῖσα χρόνου, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἤδη κεκυρωμένοις, ἵνα ἑκόντες τε καὶ ἄκοντες ἐν αὐτοῖς μένοιεν, ἐδόκει {δέ} τινος ἀρχῆς αὐτοκράτορος δεῖν. τὸ δὲ μάλιστα πεῖσαν αὐτοὺς προελέσθαι τὴν δεκαδαρχίαν ἦν ἡ τῶν δημάρχων κατάλυσις, ὃ παντὸς μάλιστα ἐβούλοντο. ταῦτα μὲν ἐν κοινῷ σκοπουμένοις αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει, ἰδίᾳ δὲ οἱ πρωτεύοντες τοῦ συνεδρίου γνώμην ἐποιοῦντο μεταπορεύεσθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν δεδιότες, μὴ ταραχώδεις τινὲς ἄνθρωποι τηλικαύτης ἐξουσίας λαβόμενοι κακόν τι μέγα ἐργάσωνται. ἀγαπητῶς δὲ τοῦ δήμου τὰ δόξαντα τῇ βουλῇ δεξαμένου καὶ μετὰ πλείστης προθυμίας ἐπιψηφίσαντος αὐτοὶ μὲν οἱ δέκα ἄνδρες προεῖπον τὸν τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων καιρόν, μετῄεσαν δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν οἱ ἐντιμότατοί τε καὶ πρεσβύτατοι τῶν πατρικίων. ἔνθα δὴ πολὺς ὑπὸ πάντων ἐπαινούμενος ἦν ὁ τῆς τότε δεκαδαρχίας ἡγεμὼν Ἄππιος, καὶ πᾶς ὁ δημοτικὸς ὄχλος ἐκεῖνον ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἠξίου κατέχειν ὡς οὐκ ἄλλου τινὸς ἄμεινον ἡγησομένου. ὁ δ´ ἀναίνεσθαι μὲν προσεποιεῖτο κατ´ ἀρχὰς καὶ ἀπολύειν αὐτὸν ἠξίου λειτουργίας καὶ ὀχληρᾶς καὶ ἐπιφθόνου. τελευτῶν δ´ ὡς ἐλιπάρουν αὐτὸν ἅπαντες αὐτός τε ὑπέμενε μετιέναι τὴν ἀρχήν, καὶ τῶν συμπαραγγελλόντων τοὺς ἀρίστους αἰτιασάμενος οὐχ ἡδέως πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἔχειν : διὰ τὸν φθόνον τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ φίλοις συνηγωνίζετο φανερῶς. ἀποδείκνυταί τε πάλιν ἐν ἀρχαιρεσίαις λοχίτισι νομοθέτης τὸ δεύτερον· σὺν δ´ αὐτῷ Κόιντος μὲν Φάβιος ὁ καλούμενος Οὐιβολανὸς ὁ τρὶς ὑπατεύσας, ἀνὴρ ἀνεπίληπτος εἰς τόδε χρόνου γενόμενος περὶ πᾶσαν ἀρετήν· ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων πατρικίων, οὓς ἐκεῖνος ἠσπάζετο, Μάρκος Κορνήλιος καὶ Μάρκος Σέργιος καὶ Λεύκιος Μηνύκιος καὶ Τίτος Ἀντώνιος καὶ Μάνιος Ῥαβολήιος, ἄνδρες οὐ πάνυ ἐπιφανεῖς· ἐκ δὲ τῶν δημοτικῶν Κόιντος Ποιτέλλιος καὶ Καίσων Δουέλλιος καὶ Σπόριος Ὄππιος· προσελήφθησαν γὰρ καὶ οὗτοι πρὸς τοῦ Ἀππίου κολακείας ἕνεκα τῶν δημοτικῶν, διδάσκοντος ὅτι δίκαιόν ἐστι μιᾶς ἀρχῆς κατὰ πάντων ἀποδεικνυμένης εἶναί τι καὶ τοῦ δήμου μέρος ἐν αὐτῇ. εὐδοκιμῶν δ´ ἐφ´ ἅπασι τούτοις καὶ δοκῶν κράτιστος εἶναι βασιλέων τε καὶ τῶν κατ´ ἐνιαυτὸν ἡγησαμένων τῆς πόλεως παραλαμβάνει πάλιν τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰς τὸν ἐπιόντα ἐνιαυτόν. ταῦτα κατ´ ἐκείνην ἐπράχθη τὴν δεκαδαρχίαν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, ἄλλο δ´ οὐθὲν ὅ τι καὶ λόγου ἄξιον.

[10,58] After a long debate the opinion of those prevailed who favoured choosing a decemvirate again to be the supreme power in the state. For not only was their code of laws manifestly incomplete, in view of the short time in which it had been compiled, but in the case of the laws already ratified some magistracy absolute in power seemed necessary in order that willingly or unwillingly people might abide by them. But the chief motive that induced the senate to give the preference to the decemvirate was the suppression of the tribunician power, which they desired above everything. This was the result of their public deliberations; but in private the leading men of the senate resolved to canvass for this magistracy, (p361) fearing that certain turbulent spirits, if they gained such power, might cause some great mischief. The popular assembly having gladly received the resolution of the senate and confirmed it with the greatest enthusiasm, the decemvirs themselves appointed the time for the election; and those among the patricians who were most distinguished for both their dignity and age stood candidates for the magistracy. Upon this occasion Appius, who was the chief of that decemvirate, received great praise from everybody and the whole crowd of plebeians desired to continue him in the magistracy, believing that no one else would govern better. He at first pretended to refuse it and asked them to excuse him from a service that was both troublesome and invidious; but at last, when they all pressed him, he not only consented to seek the office himself, but also, accusing the best of the rival candidates of being ill disposed toward him through envy, openly espoused the candidacy of his friends. Thus he was again chosen in the centuriate assembly as a lawgiver, for the second time, and with him Quintus Fabius, surnamed Vibulanus, who had been thrice consul, a man adorned with every virtue and without reproach up to that time. From among the other patricians those favoured by Appius and chosen were Marcus Cornelius, Marcus Sergius, Lucius Minucius, Titus Antonius and Manius Rabuleius, men of no great distinction; and from among the plebeians, Quintus Poetelius, Caeso Duilius and Spurius Oppius. For these also were taken in by (p363) Appius in order to flatter the plebeians; he pointed out that, as only one magistracy was appointed to govern all the citizens, it was just that the populace also should be represented in it. Thus Appius, who was in great repute for all these actions and was looked upon as superior to both their kings and the annual magistrates who had governed the state, assumed the magistracy again for the following year. These were the things done by the Romans during that decemvirate, and there was nothing else worth relating.