[11,28] Τὸ δ´ ἐν Ἀλγιδῷ τῆς Αἰκανῶν χώρας καθιδρυμένον καὶ τὸ ἐν τῇ πόλει πλῆθος ἅπαν διὰ ταύτας ἐξεπολεμώθη τὰς αἰτίας πρὸς αὐτούς. ἀνὴρ ἐκ τῶν δημοτικῶν, Λεύκιος Οὐεργίνιος, οὐδενὸς χείρων τὰ πολεμικά, λόχου τινὸς ἡγεμονίαν ἔχων ἐν τοῖς πέντε τάγμασιν ἐτάχθη τοῖς ἐπ´ Αἰκανοὺς στρατευσαμένοις. τούτῳ θυγάτηρ ἔτυχεν οὖσα καλλίστη τῶν ἐν Ῥώμῃ παρθένων τὸ πατρῷον ὄνομα φέρουσα, ἣν ἐνεγγυήσατο Λεύκιος εἷς ἐκ τῶν δεδημαρχηκότων υἱὸς Ἰκιλίου τοῦ πρώτου τε καταστησαμένου τὴν δημαρχικὴν ἐξουσίαν καὶ πρώτου λαβόντος. ταύτην τὴν κόρην ἐπίγαμον οὖσαν ἤδη θεασάμενος Ἄππιος Κλαύδιος ὁ τῆς δεκαδαρχίας ἡγεμὼν ἀναγινώσκουσαν ἐν γραμματιστοῦ - ἦν δὲ τὰ διδασκαλεῖα τότε τῶν παίδων περὶ τὴν ἀγοράν - εὐθύς τε ὑπὸ τοῦ κάλλους τῆς παιδὸς ἑάλω καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἔξω τῶν φρενῶν ἐγένετο πολλάκις ἀναγκαζόμενος παριέναι τὸ διδασκαλεῖον ἤδη κρατούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους. ὡς δ´ οὐκ ἠδύνατο πρὸς γάμον αὐτὴν λαβεῖν ἐκείνην τε ὁρῶν ἐγγεγυημένην ἑτέρῳ καὶ αὐτὸς ἔχων γυναῖκα γαμετήν, καὶ ἅμα οὐδ´ ἀξιῶν ἐκ δημοτικοῦ γένους ἁρμόσασθαι γάμον, δι´ ὑπεροψίαν τῆς τύχης καὶ παρὰ τὸν νόμον, ὃν αὐτὸς ἐν ταῖς δώδεκα δέλτοις ἀνέγραψε, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπειράθη διαφθεῖραι χρήμασι τὴν κόρην, καὶ προσέπεμπέ τινας ἀεὶ πρὸς τὰς τροφοὺς αὐτῆς γυναῖκας - ἦν γὰρ ὀρφανὴ μητρὸς ἡ παῖς - διδούς τε πολλὰ καὶ ἔτι πλείονα τῶν διδομένων ὑπισχνούμενος. παρηγγέλλετο δὲ τοῖς πειρωμένοις τὰς τροφοὺς μὴ λέγειν, τίς ὁ τῆς κόρης ἐστὶν ἐρῶν, ἀλλ´ ὅτι τῶν δυναμένων τις εὖ ποιεῖν οὓς βουληθείη καὶ κακῶς. ὡς δ´ οὐκ ἔπειθον αὐτάς, ἀλλὰ καὶ φυλακῆς ἑώρα τὴν κόρην κρείττονος ἢ πρότερον ἀξιουμένην, φλεγόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους τὴν ἰταμωτέραν ἔγνω βαδίζειν ὁδόν. μεταπεμψάμενος δή τινα τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πελατῶν, Μάρκον Κλαύδιον, ἄνδρα τολμηρὸν καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ὑπηρεσίαν ἕτοιμον, τό τε πάθος αὐτῷ διηγεῖται καὶ διδάξας, ὅσα ποιεῖν αὐτὸν ἐβούλετο καὶ λέγειν, ἀποστέλλει συχνοὺς τῶν ἀναιδεστάτων ἐπαγόμενον. ὁ δὲ παραγενόμενος ἐπὶ τὸ διδασκαλεῖον ἐπιλαμβάνεται τῆς παρθένου καὶ φανερῶς ἄγειν ἐβούλετο δι´ ἀγορᾶς. κραυγῆς δὲ γενομένης καὶ πολλοῦ συνδραμόντος ὄχλου κωλυόμενος ὅποι προῃρεῖτο τὴν κόρην ἄγειν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν παραγίνεται. ἐκάθητο δ´ ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος τηνικαῦτα μόνος Ἄππιος χρηματίζων τε καὶ δικάζων τοῖς δεομένοις. βουλομένου δ´ αὐτοῦ λέγειν κραυγή τε καὶ ἀγανάκτησις ἦν ἐκ τοῦ περιεστῶτος ὄχλου, πάντων ἀξιούντων περιμένειν, ἕως ἔλθωσιν οἱ συγγενεῖς τῆς κόρης· καὶ ὁ Ἄππιος οὕτως ἐκέλευσε ποιεῖν. ὡς δ´ ὀλίγος ὁ μεταξὺ χρόνος ἐγεγόνει, καὶ παρῆν ὁ πρὸς μητρὸς θεῖος τῆς παρθένου Πόπλιος Νομιτώριος φίλους τε πολλοὺς ἐπαγόμενος καὶ συγγενεῖς, ἀνὴρ ἐκ τῶν δημοτικῶν ἐμφανής, καὶ μετ´ οὐ πολὺ Λεύκιος, ὁ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐνεγγυημένος τὴν κόρην, χεῖρα περὶ αὑτὸν ἔχων νέων δημοτικῶν καρτεράν. ὡς δὲ τῷ βήματι προσῆλθεν, ἀσθμαίνων ἔτι καὶ μετέωρος τὸ πνεῦμα λέγειν ἠξίου, τίς ἐστιν ὁ τολμήσας ἅψασθαι παιδὸς ἀστῆς καὶ τί βουλόμενος.

[11,28] The other army, which lay at Algidum in the territory of the Aequians, as well as the whole body of the people at Rome became hostile to them for the following reasons. One of the plebeians, whose name was Lucius Verginius, a man inferior to none in war, had the command of a century in one of the five legions which had taken the field against the Aequians.He had a daughter, called Verginia (p95) after her father, who far surpassed all the Roman maidens in beauty and was betrothed to Lucius, a former tribune and son of the Icilius who first instituted and first received the tribunician power. Appius Claudius, the chief of the decemvirs, having seen this girl, who was now marriageable, as she was reading at the schoolmaster's (the schools for the children stood at that time near the Forum), was immediately captivated by her beauty and became still more frenzied because, already mastered by passion, he could not help passing by the school frequently. But, as he could not marry her, both because he saw that she was betrothed to another and because he himself had a lawfully-wedded wife, and furthermore because he would not deign to take a wife from a plebeian family through scorn of that station and as being contrary to the law which he himself had inscribed in the Twelve Tables, he first endeavoured to bribe the girl with money, and for that purpose was continually sending women to her governesses (for she had lost her mother), giving them many presents and promising them still more than was actually given. Those who were tempting the governesses had been instructed not to tell them the name of the man who was in love with the girl, but only that he was one of those who had it in his power to benefit or harm whom he wished.When they could not persuade the governesses and he saw that the girl was thought to require an even stronger guard than before, inflamed by his passion, he resolved to take the more audacious course. He accordingly sent for Marcus Claudius, one of his clients, a daring man and (p97) ready for any service, and acquainted him with his passion; then, having instructed him in what he wished him to do and say, he sent him away accompanied by a band of the most shameless men. And Claudius, going to the school, seized the maiden and attempted to lead her away openly through the forum; but when an outcry was raised and a great crowd gathered, he was prevented from taking her whither he intended, and so betook himself to the magistracy. Seated at the time on the tribunal was Appius alone, hearing causes and administering justice to those who applied for it. When Claudius wished to speak, there was an outcry and expressions of indignation on the part of the crowd standing about the tribunal, all demanding that he wait till the relations of the girl should be present; and Appius ordered it should be so. After a short interval Publius Numitorius, the maiden's maternal uncle, a man of distinction among the plebeians, appeared with many of his friends and relations; and not long afterwards came Lucius, to whom she had been betrothed by her father, accompanied by a strong body of young plebeians. As he came up to the tribunal still panting and out of breath, he demanded to know who it was that had dared to lay hands upon a girl who was a Roman citizen and what his purpose was.