[11,44] Ἧκον δ´ αὐτοῖς ἐπίκουροι μετ´ οὐ πολὺ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν Φιδήνῃ στρατιᾶς οἱ κράτιστοι τῶν τριῶν ταγμάτων λοχαγοὶ πολλὴν δύναμιν ἐπαγόμενοι, ἀλλοτρίως μὲν ἔτι πάλαι διακείμενοι πρὸς τοὺς ἐκεῖ στρατηγούς, ἐξ οὗ Σίκκιον τὸν πρεσβευτὴν ἀπέκτειναν, ὥσπερ ἔφην, δεδιότες δ´ ἄρξαι τῆς ἀποστάσεως πρότεροι, ὡς οἰκείων ὄντων τῇ δεκαδαρχίᾳ τῶν ἐν Ἀλγιδῷ πέντε ταγμάτων, τότε δ´, ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀπόστασιν ἐπέγνωσαν, ἀγαπητῶς τὸ συμβὰν ἀπὸ τῆς τύχης δεξάμενοι. ἡγεμόνες δὲ καὶ τούτων τῶν ταγμάτων ἦσαν δέκα χιλίαρχοι καθ´ ὁδὸν ἀποδειχθέντες, ὧν ἐπιφανέστατος Σέξτος Μάλιος ἦν. ἐπεὶ δὲ συνέμιξαν ἀλλήλοις, θέμενοι τὰ ὅπλα τοῖς εἴκοσι χιλιάρχοις ἐπέτρεψαν ἅπαντα ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ λέγειν τε καὶ πράττειν. ἐκ δὲ τῶν εἴκοσι τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους ἀπέδειξαν δύο προβούλους, Μάρκον Ὄππιον καὶ Σέξτον Μάλιον· οὗτοι βουλευτήριον ἐξ ἁπάντων καταστησάμενοι τῶν λοχαγῶν, μετ´ ἐκείνων ἅπαντα διετέλουν πραγματευόμενοι. ἀδήλου δ´ ἔτι τοῖς πολλοῖς τῆς διανοίας αὐτῶν οὔσης Ἄππιος μέν, οἷα δὴ συγγινώσκων ἑαυτῷ τῆς παρούσης ταραχῆς αἰτίῳ γεγονότι καὶ τῶν προσδοκωμένων δι´ αὐτὴν ἔσεσθαι κακῶν, οὐκέτι τῶν κοινῶν οὐδὲν ἠξίου πράττειν, ἀλλὰ κατ´ οἶκον ἔμενεν· ὁ δὲ σὺν αὐτῷ τεταγμένος ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως Σπόριος Ὄππιος, διαταραχθεὶς κατ´ ἀρχὰς καὶ αὐτός, ὡς αὐτίκα μάλα τῶν ἐχθρῶν σφίσιν ἐπιθησομένων καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἡκόντων, ἐπειδὴ κατέμαθεν οὐδὲν νεωτερίσαντας αὐτούς, ὑφέμενος τοῦ δέους ἐκάλει τὴν βουλὴν εἰς τὸ συνέδριον ἐκ τῶν οἰκιῶν κατ´ ἄνδρα μεταπεμπόμενος. ἔτι δ´ αὐτῶν συλλεγομένων ἧκον οἱ ἐκ τῆς ἐν Φιδήνῃ στρατιᾶς ἡγεμόνες ἀγανακτοῦντες ἐπὶ τῷ καταλελεῖφθαι τοὺς χάρακας ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀμφοτέρους, καὶ τὴν βουλὴν πείθοντες ἀξίαν τοῦ πράγματος ὀργὴν κατ´ αὐτῶν λαβεῖν. ἐπεὶ δ´ ἀγορεύειν γνώμην ἕκαστον ἔδει, Λεύκιος μὲν Κορνήλιος ἔφη δεῖν ἀπεῖναι τοὺς ταχθέντας εἰς τὸν Ἀουεντῖνον αὐθημερὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἑαυτῶν χάρακας, καὶ τὰ κελευόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν στρατηγῶν ἐπιτελεῖν μηδενὸς ὄντας τῶν γεγονότων ὑποδίκους, πλὴν τῶν αἰτίων τῆς ἀποστάσεως μόνων· τούτοις δὲ προσθεῖναι δίκας τοὺς στρατηγούς. ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ποιῶσι ταῦτα, βουλεύειν περὶ αὐτῶν τὸ συνέδριον ὡς ἐκλελοιπότων τὴν τάξιν, ἐφ´ ἣν ἐτάχθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἡγεμόνων, καὶ περὶ τὸν στρατιωτικὸν ἠσεβηκότων ὅρκον. Λεύκιος δὲ Οὐαλέριος {- - -} ἀλλ´ ὑπὲρ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν νόμων, οὓς ἐν ταῖς δώδεκα δέλτοις ἀναγεγραμμένους εὕρομεν, οὔτε μηδένα ποιήσασθαι λόγον ἥρμοττεν, οὕτω σεμνῶν ὄντων καὶ τοσαύτην ἐχόντων διαφορὰν παρὰ τὰς Ἑλληνικὰς νομοθεσίας, οὔτε περαιτέρω τοῦ δέοντος προβαίνειν ἐκμηκύναντας τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν ἱστορίαν.

[11,44] There soon came to them as reinforcements from the army at Fidenae the ablest centurions of the three legions there, bringing with them a large force. These had long been disaffected toward the generals at Fidenae, ever since those men had caused the death of Siccius the legate, as I have related, but were afraid of beginning the revolt earlier, because they considered the five legions at Algidum to be attached to the decemvirate; but at the time in question, as soon as they heard of the revolt of the others, they were glad to embrace the opportunity presented to them by Fortune. 2 These legions also were commanded by ten tribunes, who had been appointed during their march, the most prominent of (p147) whom was Sextus Malius. After joining the others, they put down their arms and left it to the twenty tribunes to speak and act in all matters as representatives of the whole group. Out of these twenty they appointed two persons, Marcus Oppius and Sextus Malius, who were the most prominent, to determine policies. These established a council consisting of all the centurions and handled all matters in conjunction with them.While their intentions were not as yet generally known, Appius, inasmuch as he was conscious of having been the cause of the present disturbance and of the evils that were expected to result from it, no longer thought fit to transact any of the public business, but stayed at home. Spurius Oppius, however, who had been placed in command of the city together with him, although he too had been alarmed at first, believing that their enemies would immediately attack them and had indeed come for this purpose, nevertheless, when he found that they had attempted nothing revolutionary, relaxed from his fear and summoned the senators from their homes to the senate-house, sending for each one individually. While these were still assembling, the commanders of the army at Fidenae arrived, full of indignation that both the camps had been abandoned by the soldiers, and they endeavoured to persuade the senate to resent this action as it deserved. When the senators were to deliver their opinions one after another, Lucius Cornelius declared that the soldiers who were posted43 on the Aventine must return that very day to their (p149) camps and carry out the orders of their generals, though they should not be subject to trial for anything that had happened, save only the authors of the revolt, who should be punished by the generals.If, however, they did not do as commanded, the senate should deliberate concerning them as concerning men who had abandoned the post to which they had been assigned by their generals and had violated their military oath. Lucius Valerius {- - -} But it behooved me neither to make no mention of the Roman laws which I found written on the Twelve Tables, since they are so venerable and so far superior to the codes of the Greeks, nor to go on and extend my account of them farther than was necessary.