[12,4] Τῶν δὲ δημοτικῶν οἱ μὲν οὐ συμβουλεύσαντες τῇ καταλύσει τῆς πολιτείας ἠγανάκτουν καὶ δι´ ὀργῆς τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐλάμβανον, οἱ δὲ κοινωνήσαντες τῆς συνωμοσίας ἀφειμένοι τοῦ φόβου χαίρειν τε προσεποιοῦντο καὶ τὸ συνέδριον τῶν βουλευμάτων ἐπῄνουν· ὀλίγοι δέ τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν οἱ πονηρότατοι λογοποιεῖν ἐτόλμων ἐν ταῖς ἑξῆς ἡμέραις ὡς ἀνηρπασμένου πρὸς τῶν δυνατῶν τοῦ Μαιλίου καὶ διαστασιάζειν τὸν δῆμον ἐπεχείρουν· οὓς ἀφανεῖ θανάτῳ διαχρησάμενος ὁ δικτάτωρ, ἐπειδὴ κατέπαυσε τοῦ θορύβου, τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀποτίθεται. Οἱ μὲν δὴ τὰ πιθανώτατά μοι δοκοῦντες γράφειν περὶ τῆς Μαιλίου τελευτῆς οὕτω παραδεδώκασι· λεγέσθω δὲ καὶ ὁ δοκῶν ἧττον εἶναί μοι πιθανὸς λόγος, ᾧ κέχρηται Κίγκιος καὶ Καλπούρνιος, ἐπιχώριοι συγγραφεῖς· οἵ φασιν οὔτε δικτάτορα ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς ἀποδειχθῆναι τὸν Κοίντιον οὔτε ἱππάρχην ὑπὸ τοῦ Κοιντίου τὸν Σερουίλιον. γενομένης δὲ μηνύσεως ὑπὸ τοῦ Μηνυκίου τοὺς παρόντας ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ πιστεύσαντας ἀληθῆ τὰ λεγόμενα εἶναι, γνώμην ἀποδειξαμένου τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τινὸς ἄκριτον ἦ μὴν ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν ἄνδρα παραχρῆμα πεισθέντας, {καὶ} οὕτω τὸν Σερουίλιον ἐπὶ τοῦτο τάξαι τὸ ἔργον, νέον ὄντα καὶ κατὰ χεῖρα γενναῖον. τοῦτον δέ φασι λαβόντα τὸ ξιφίδιον ὑπὸ μάλης ἐλθεῖν πρὸς τὸν Μαίλιον πορευόμενον ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς καὶ προσελθόντα εἰπεῖν, ὅτι βούλεται περὶ πράγματος ἀπορρήτου καὶ μεγάλου διαλεχθῆναι πρὸς αὐτόν. κελεύσαντος δὲ τοῦ Μαιλίου μικρὸν ἀποχωρῆσαι τοὺς ἐγγὺς αὐτῷ παρόντας, ἐπειδὴ μονωθέντα τῆς φυλακῆς ἔλαβε, γυμνώσαντα τὸ ξίφος βάψαι κατὰ τῆς σφαγῆς· τοῦτο δὲ πράξαντα δρόμῳ χωρεῖν εἰς τὸ βουλευτήριον ἔτι συγκαθημένων τῶν συνέδρων, ἔχοντα τὸ ξίφος ᾑμαγμένον κεκραγότα πρὸς τοὺς διώκοντας, ὅτι κελευσθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς ἀνῄρηκε τὸν τύραννον. ἀκούσαντας δὲ τὸ τῆς βουλῆς ὄνομα τοὺς ὡρμηκότας παίειν τε καὶ βάλλειν αὐτὸν ἀποτραπέσθαι καὶ μηδὲν εἰς αὐτὸν παρανομῆσαι. ἐκ τούτου καὶ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν τὸν Ἄλαν αὐτῷ τεθῆναι λέγουσιν, ὅτι τὸ ξίφος ἔχων ὑπὸ μάλης ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνδρα· ἄλας γὰρ καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι τὰς μάλας. Ἀναιρεθέντος δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καθ´ ἕτερον τρόπον συνελθοῦσα ἡ βουλὴ τήν τε οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ εἶναι δημοσίαν ἐψηφίσατο καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἕως ἐδάφους κατασκαφῆναι. οὗτος ὁ τόπος ἔτι καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ ἦν ἐν πολλαῖς ταῖς πέριξ οἰκίαις μόνος ἀνειμένος ἔρημος, καλούμενος ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων Αἰκυμήλιον· ὡς ἂν ἡμεῖς εἴποιμεν ἰσόπεδον Μήλιον. αἶκον γὰρ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων τὸ μηδεμίαν ἔχον ἐξοχὴν καλεῖται· τόπον οὖν τινα Αἶκον Μήλιον ἐξ ἀρχῆς κληθέντα, ὕστερον συμφθαρέντων {δὲ} ἀλλήλοις κατὰ τὴν μίαν ἐκφορὰν τῶν ὀνομάτων Αἰκυμήλιον ἐκάλεσαν. τῷ δὲ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Μαιλίου μήνυσιν ἀποδόντι Μηνυκίῳ στάσιν ἀνδριάντος ἐψηφίσατο ἡ βουλή.

[12,4] Of the plebeians, those who had not joined in plotting for the overthrow of the government were indignant and angry at the man's attempt, while those who had shared in the conspiracy, being now freed from their fear, pretended to any other and praised the senate for the measures it had taken; but some few of them, the most knavish, made bold during the following days to spread reports to the effect that Maelius had been made away with by the men in power, and attempted to sow dissension (p213) among the people. The dictator put these men to death secretly, and after allaying the disturbance, resigned his magistracy. 2 Now those who seem to me to give the most credible account of Maelius' death have handed down the above report; but let me record also the account which appears to me less credible, the one adopted by Cincius and Calpurnius, native writers. These men state that neither was Quintius appointed dictator by the senate nor Servilius made Master of Horse by Quintius. 3 But when information was given by Minucius, those who were present in the senate believed that the things reported were true, and when one of the older senators made a motion to put the man to death immediately without a trial, they were convinced and accordingly appointed for this task Servilius, who was a young man and brave in action. 4 Servilius, they say, taking his dagger under his arm, approached Maelius as he was proceeding from the Forum, and coming up to him, said that he wished to speak with him about a private matter of great importance. Then, when Maelius ordered those who were close to him to withdraw to a little distance, the other, having thus got him separated from his guard, bared his sword and plunged it into his throat; and after doing this he ran to the senate-house, where the senators were still in session, brandishing his sword that dripped with blood and shouting to those who pursued him that he had destroyed the tyrant at the command dot senate. (p215) 5 When they heard mention of the senate, those who had been bent on beating and stoning him desisted and committed no lawless act against him. In consequence of this deed they say the cognomen Ala (Ahala) was given him, inasmuch as he had his sword under his arm-pit when he came upon Maelius; for the Romans call the arm-pit ala. 6 When the man had been destroyed in one way or the other, the senate met and voted that his property should be confiscated to the state and his house razed to the ground. This site even to my day was the only area left vacant amid the surrounding houses, and was called Aequimelium by the Romans, or, we might study, the Plain of Melius. For aequum is the name given by the Romans to that which has no eminences; accordingly, a place originally called aequum Melium was later, when the two words were run together and pronounced as one, called Aequimelium. To the man who gave information against Maelius, namely Minucius, the senate voted that a statue should be erected.