not in the Capitol? considerably more, by
Jove, (in the mind of any one) who would judge the matter fairly.
Herdonius, if nothing else, by avowing himself an enemy, in a manner
gave you notice to take up arms: this man, by denying the existence of
war, took arms out of your hands, and exposed you defenceless to your
slaves and exiles. And did you, (without any offence to Caius Claudius
and to Publius Valerius, now no more let me say it,) did you advance
against the Capitoline hill before you expelled those enemies from the
forum. It is shameful before gods and men. When the enemy were in the
citadel, in the very Capitol, when the leader of the exiles and slaves,
after profaning every thing, took up his residence in the shrine of
Jupiter, the best and greatest, arms were taken up in Tusculum sooner
than in Rome. It was a matter of doubt whether Lucius Mamilius, the
Tusculan leader, or Publius Valerius and Caius Claudius, the consuls,
recovered the Roman citadel, and we, who formerly did not suffer the
Latins to touch arms, even in their own defence, when they had the enemy
in their very frontiers, should have been taken and destroyed now, had
not the Latins taken up arms of their own accord. Tribunes, is this
bringing aid to the commons, to expose them in a defenceless state to be
butchered by the enemy. Now, if any one, even the humblest individual of
your commons, (which portion you have as it were broken off from the
rest of the state, and made it your country and peculiar commonwealth,)
if any one of these persons were to bring word that his house was beset
by an armed band of slaves, you would think that assistance should be
afforded to him. Was Jupiter, the best and greatest, when surrounded by
the arms of exiles and of slaves, deserving of no human aid? And do
these persons require that they be considered sacred and
inviolable,[126] with whom the gods themselves are neither sacred nor
inviolable? But, steeped as ye are in crimes against both gods and men,
do ye say that you will pass your law this year? Verily then the day on
which I was created consul was a disastrous day for the commonwealth,
much more so even than that on which Publius Valerius the consul fell,
if ye should carry it. Now, first of all," says he, "Romans, it is the
intention of myself and of my colleague to march the legions against the
Volsci and the AEqui. I know not by what fatality we find the gods more
propitious when we are at war than in pe