[12,6] Δεύτερον ὑπατεύοντος Αὔλου Κορνηλίου Κόσσου καὶ Τίτου Κοιντίου αὐχμῷ μεγάλῳ κακωθεῖσα ἡ γῆ πάντων ἐσπάνισεν οὐ μόνον τῶν ὀμβρίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ναματιαίων ὑδάτων· ἐκ δὲ τούτου προβάτων μὲν καὶ ὑποζυγίων καὶ βοῶν ἐπίλειψις παντελὴς ἐγένετο, εἰς δὲ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους νόσοι κατέσκηψαν πολλαὶ μὲν καὶ ἄλλαι, μάλιστα δὲ ἡ ψωρώδης καλουμένη, δεινὰς ὀδύνας παρέχουσα τοῖς χρωσὶ κατὰ τοὺς ὀδαξησμοὺς καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἑλκώσεις ἔτι μᾶλλον ἀγριαινομένη· πάθος ἐλεεινὸν ἐν τοῖς πάνυ καὶ τοῦ ταχίστου τῶν ὀλέθρων αἴτιον. Οὐκ ἐδόκει τοῖς προεστηκόσι τοῦ συνεδρίου βαθεῖαν εἰρήνην καὶ πολυχρόνιον ἄγειν σχολὴν ἐνθυμουμένοις, ὅτι ῥᾳθυμία καὶ τρυφὴ συνεισπορεύεται ταῖς πόλεσι μετὰ τῆς εἰρήνης, καὶ ἅμα τὰς πολιτικὰς ὀρρωδοῦσι ταραχάς. καὶ αὗται γὰρ ἅμα τῷ καταλυθῆναι τοὺς ὑπερορίους πολέμους χαλεπαὶ καὶ συνεχεῖς ἐξ ἁπάσης προφάσεως ἀνίσταντο. Κρεῖττον ταῖς φιλανθρωπίαις περιεῖναι τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἢ ταῖς τιμωρίαις, δι´ ἃς κεἰ μηδὲν ἕτερον αἱ γέ τοι παρὰ τῶν θεῶν ἐλπίδες ἡδίους αὐτοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν. Ὡς ἔμαθε τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκ τῶν κατόπιν προσιόντας, ἐπιστρέφειν μὲν ὀπίσω περιεχόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων πανταχόθεν ἀπέγνω ἐνθυμούμενος, ὅτι κινδυνεύσουσιν ἅπαντες οὐθὲν ἀποδειξάμενοι γενναῖον ἔργον αἴσχιστα διαφθαρῆναι, ὀλίγοι τε πρὸς πολλοὺς μαχόμενοι καὶ τεθωρακισμένοι πρὸς ἐλαφρούς. ἰδὼν δὲ ὄχθον τινὰ ὑψηλὸν ἐπιεικῶς, ὃς ἦν αὐτῷ οὐ πρόσω, τοῦτον ἔγνω καταλαβέσθαι. Ἀγρίππας Μενήνιος καὶ Πόπλιος Λουκρήτιος καὶ Σερούιος Ναύτιος, χιλίαρχοι τιμηθέντες, ἐπίθεσίν τινα κατὰ τῆς πόλεως γενομένην ὑπὸ δούλων ἐφώρασαν. ἔμελλον δὲ οἱ μετέχοντες τῆς συνωμοσίας πῦρ ἐμβαλόντες ταῖς οἰκίαις κατὰ πολλοὺς ἅμα τόπους νύκτωρ, ὁπότε μάθοιεν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν καιομένων βοηθείαν ὡρμηκότας ἅπαντας τό τε Καπιτώλιον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐρυμνοὺς καταλαμβάνεσθαι τόπους, ἐγκρατεῖς δὲ γενόμενοι τῶν καρτερῶν τῆς πόλεως, ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τοὺς ἄλλους δούλους παρακαλεῖν, καὶ σὺν ἐκείνοις ἀποκτείναντες τοὺς δεσπότας τὰς τῶν πεφονευμένων γυναῖκάς τε καὶ κτήσεις παραλαμβάνειν. τῆς δὲ πράξεως περιφανοῦς γενομένης συλληφθέντες οἱ πρῶτοι συνθέντες τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν καὶ μαστιγωθέντες ἐπὶ τοὺς σταυροὺς ἀπήχθησαν· τῶν δὲ μηνυσάντων αὐτούς, ὄντων δυεῖν, ἐλευθερίαν τε καὶ δραχμὰς χιλίας ἑκάτερος ἔλαβεν ἐκ τοῦ δημοσίου.

[12,6] When Aulus Cornelius Cossus (for the second time) and Titus Quintius were consuls,8 the land suffered from a severe drought, lacking all moisture not only from rains but also from flowing streams. As a result, sheep, beasts of burden and cattle disappeared entirely, while human beings were visited with many diseases, particularly the one called the mange, which caused dreadful pains in the skin with its itchings and in case of any ulcerations raged more violently than ever — a most pitiable affliction and the cause of the speediest of deaths. 2 It did not seem wise to the leaders of the senate to have profound peace and long-continued leisure; for they were mindful that indolence and softness enter states along with peace, and at the same time they dreaded civil disturbances. For these disturbances, (p219) as soon as external wars were terminated, arose, bitter and continuous, on every possible excuse. 3 It is better for people to surpass their enemies in acts of kindness than in punishments, since, even if there is no other reason, at least their expectations of favours from the gods are brighter because of them. 4 When he learned that the enemy were coming up in the rear, he despaired of turning back, being surrounded by the enemy on all sides, and bearing in mind that they would all run the risk of perishing ignominiously without having performed any noble action, fighting, as they would be, a few against many, and heavily armed against light troops. And perceiving a hill of moderate height which lay at no great distance, he resolved to seize it. 5 Agrippa Menenius, Publius Lucretius and Servius Nautius, having been honoured with the military tribuneship, discovered a plot that had been formed against the commonwealth by slaves. 6 The conspirators were planning to set fire to the houses at night in many different places at the same time, and then, when they had learned that everyone had rushed to the aid of the burning buildings, to seize the Capitol and the other fortified places and, once in possession of the strong positions in the city, to summon the other slaves to freedom and together with them, after slaying their masters, to take over the wives and possessions of the murdered men. (p221) 7 When the plot was revealed, the ringleaders were arrested and after being scourged were led away to be crucified; as for the men who had laid information against them, two in number, each received his freedom and a thousand denarii from the public treasury.