[11,43] Ὁ δὲ Οὐεργίνιος ὑπό τ´ ὀργῆς καὶ ἐκ τοῦ μηδὲν ἔτι δεδοικέναι τοὺς ἡγεμόνας αὐθαδέστερον αὐτῶν καθήπτετο λυμεῶνας τε καὶ ὀλέθρους τῆς πατρίδος ἀποκαλῶν καὶ παραινῶν τοῖς λοχαγοῖς ἅπασιν ἀραμένους τὰ σημεῖα οἴκαδε ἀπάγειν τὴν στρατιάν. ὀρρωδούντων δ´ ἔτι τῶν πολλῶν τὰ ἱερὰ σημεῖα κινεῖν, ἔπειτα τοὺς ἡγεμόνας καὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς καταλιπεῖν οὔτε ὅσιον οὔτ´ ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι πᾶσι νομιζόντων· ὅ τε γὰρ ὅρκος ὁ στρατιωτικός, ὃν ἁπάντων μάλιστα ἐμπεδοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι, τοῖς στρατηγοῖς ἀκολουθεῖν κελεύει τοὺς στρατευομένους, ὅποι ποτ´ ἂν ἄγωσιν, ὅ τε νόμος ἀποκτείνειν ἔδωκε τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν ἐξουσίαν τοὺς ἀπειθοῦντας ἢ τὰ σημεῖα καταλιπόντας ἀκρίτως· ταῦτα δὴ δι´ εὐλαβείας αὐτοὺς ἔχοντας ὁρῶν Οὐεργίνιος ἐδίδασκεν, ὅτι λέλυκεν αὐτῶν τὸν ὅρκον ὁ νόμος, ἐπειδὴ νόμῳ μὲν ἀποδειχθέντα δεῖ τὸν στρατηγὸν ἄρχειν τῶν δυνάμεων, ἡ δὲ τῶν δέκα ἀνδρῶν ἐξουσία παράνομος ἦν ὑπερβαλοῦσα τὸν ἐνιαύσιον χρόνον, εἰς ὃν ἀπεδείχθη. τὸ δὲ τοῖς μὴ κατὰ νόμον ἄρχουσι ποιεῖν τὸ κελευόμενον οὐκ εὐπείθειαν εἶναι καὶ εὐσέβειαν, ἀλλ´ ἄνοιαν καὶ μανίαν. ταῦτ´ ἀκούσαντες ὀρθῶς λέγεσθαι ἡγούμενοι καὶ παρακελευόμενοί τε ἀλλήλοις καί τι καὶ θάρσος ἐκ τοῦ δαιμονίου λαβόντες αἴρονται τὰ σημεῖα καὶ προῆγον ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος. ἔμελλον δ´, ὅπερ εἰκὸς ἐν ποικίλοις τ´ ἤθεσι καὶ οὐχ ἅπασι τὰ κράτιστα διανοουμένοις, ἔσεσθαί τινες οἱ μένοντες ἅμα τοῖς ὀλιγάρχαις καὶ στρατιῶται καὶ λοχαγοί, πλὴν οὐ τοσοῦτοι τὸ πλῆθος, ἀλλ´ ἐλάττους παρὰ πολὺ τῶν ἑτέρων. οἱ δ´ ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου δι´ ὅλης ἡμέρας ἐπιπορευθέντες ἑσπέρας καταλαβούσης παρῆσαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν οὐδενὸς ἐξαγγείλαντος αὐτῶν τὴν ἔφοδον, καὶ συνετάραξαν τοὺς ἔνδον οὐ μετρίως πολέμιον οἰομένους στρατὸν εἰσεληλυθέναι· κραυγή τε καὶ δρόμος ἄτακτος ἀνὰ τὴν πόλιν ἦν. οὐ μὴν ἐπὶ πολύν γε διέμεινεν ἡ ταραχὴ χρόνον, ὥστε κακόν τι γενέσθαι δι´ αὐτήν. διεξιόντες γὰρ τοὺς στενωποὺς ἐβόων, ὅτι φίλοι τ´ εἰσὶ καὶ ἐπ´ ἀγαθῷ τῆς πόλεως εἰσεληλύθασι, καὶ τὰ ἔργα ὅμοια παρείχοντο τοῖς λόγοις ἀδικοῦντες οὐδένα. ἀφικόμενοι δ´ εἰς τὸν καλούμενον Ἀουεντῖνον - ἔστι δὲ τῶν ἐμπεριεχομένων ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ λόφων οὗτος ἐπιτηδειότατος ἐνστρατοπεδεύεσθαι - περί τε τὸ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερὸν τίθενται τὰ ὅπλα, τῇ δ´ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ κρατυνάμενοι τὸν χάρακα καὶ χιλιάρχους δέκα τῶν κοινῶν ἀποδείξαντες κυρίους, ὧν ἡγεμὼν ἦν Μάρκος Ὄππιος, ἔμενον ἐφ´ ἡσυχίας.

[11,43] Verginius, moved by anger and no longer standing in awe of the generals, now inveighed against them with greater assurance, called them despoilers and plagues of their country, and exhorting (p143) all the centurions to take up the standards and lead the army home.But most of them were still afraid to remove the sacred standards, and again, did not think it either right or safe at all to desert their commanders and generals. For not only does the military oath, which the Romans observe most strictly of all oaths, bid the soldiers follow their generals wherever they may lead, but also the law has given the commanders authority to put to death without a trial all who are disobedient or desert their standards.Verginius, accordingly, perceiving that these scruples kept them in awe, proceeded to show them that the law had set aside their oath, since it is necessary that the general who commands the forces should have been legally appointed, whereas the power of the decemvirs was illegal, inasmuch as it had exceeded the term of a year, for which it had been granted. And to do the bidding of those who were commanding illegally, he declared, was not obedience and loyalty, but folly and madness. The soldiers, hearing these arguments, appointed of them; and encouraging one another and inspired also by Heaven with a certain boldness, they took up the standards and set out from the camp. However, as was to be expected among men of various dispositions and not all of them entertaining the best intentions, there were bound to be some, both soldiers and centurions, who remained with the oligarchs, though they were not so numerous as the others, but far fewer. Those who departed from the camp marched throughout the entire day, and when evening came (p145) on, arrived in Rome, no one having announced their approach. Hence they caused the inhabitants no slight dismay, since they thought that a hostile army had entered the city; and there was shouting and disorderly running to and fro throughout the city. Nevertheless, the confusion did not last long enough to produce any mischief. For the soldiers, passing through the streets, called out that they were friends and had come for the good of the commonwealth; and they made their words match their deeds, as they did no harm to anyone. Then, proceeding to the hill called the Aventine, which of all the hills included in Rome is the most suitable for an encampment, they put down their arms near the temple of Diana. The following day they strengthened their camp, and having appointed ten tribunes, at the head of whom was Marcus Oppius, to take care of their common interests, they remained quiet.