Summary of book III
THERE were quarrels about land-laws. The Capitol
was seized by exiles and slaves; who were slain and
the Capitol recovered. The census was taken twice. By
the earlier enumeration there were returned 8714
1 citizens,
besides male and female wards; by the second 117,219.
After a defeat had been sustained at the hands of the
Aequi, Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus, being appointed
dictator, was summoned to the control of the war while
engaged in working on his farm. He defeated the enemy
and sent them under the yoke. The number of tribunes
was increased to ten in the 36th year from the election
of the first ones. After the laws of Athens had been
searched out and brought to Rome by envoys, decemvirs
with consular powers were chosen, without any other
magistrates, to draw up and publish them. It was in
the 302nd year after the founding of Rome that the power
was transferred from consuls to decemvirs, as it had
formerly been from kings to consuls. When the decemvirs
had posted up ten tables of laws, after such moderation in
the conduct of their office that it had been voted to continue the same magistracy for another year, they added
two tables to the ten; and after many insolent acts
refused to lay down their authority, but retained it for
a third year, till the lust of Appius Claudius put an end to
their hated dominion. Having fallen in love with the
maiden Verginia, he suborned an agent to claim her as
his slave, and obliged her father Verginius to act. Seizing
a knife from the nearest stall, he slew his daughter, since
there was no other way to keep her from falling into
the hands of the man who meditated her dishonour.
By this great wrong the plebeians were roused to action,
[p. 253]
and occupying the Aventine, forced the decemvirs to
abdicate. Of these, Appius, who had been most guilty,
was flung into prison; the rest were exiled. The book
contains also successful campaigns against the Sabines
and the Volsci, and a discreditable judgment rendered
by the Roman People, who, being chosen umpire between
the Ardeates and the Aricini, awarded to themselves the
territory in dispute.
[p. 257]
