Livy, Periochae 1-5

Titus Livius or Livy (59 BCE - 17 CE): Roman historian, author of the authorized version of the history of the Roman republic.

A large part of Livy's History of Rome since the Foundation is now lost, but fortunately we have an excerpt, called the Periochae, which helps us reconstruct the general scope. This translation was made by Jona Lendering.

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From Book 3

[3.1] [462 VC] There were riots because of the land bills.

[3.2] The Capitol, which had been occupied by exiles and slaves, was recaptured after a massacre.

[3.3] The ritual cleansing of the state was performed twice.

[3.4] During the first ceremony 108,714 people were registered (widows and orphans not included), during the second 117,219.

[3.5] [458 VC] After an unsuccessful fight against the Aequans, Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus was made dictator; because he was in the country, working on his land, it was there that he was asked to wage war.

[3.6] He sent the defeated enemies under the yoke.

[3.7] [457 VC] Thirty-six years after the first tribunes of the plebs were elected, the number of tribunes of the plebs was expanded, so that there were ten.

[3.8] [451 VC] After envoys had been sent to Athens to consult and propagate the laws, a board of ten men, with the powers of consuls and without any other magistrates, was created in the three hundred and second year since the founding of the city, and power was transferred from the consuls to the ten as it had once been transferred from the kings to the consuls.

[3.9] During the publication of the first ten tables of laws, they behaved moderately, and it was decided that they would stay in office for a second year [450 VC], but after adding two tablets to the other ten, they started to commit excesses, refused to lay down their magistracy, and would have claimed a third term, if the lust had of Appius Claudius had not put an end to their detested power. 

[3.10] Because he burned with passion for a girl named Virginia, he sent someone to claim her as his slave, which forced her father to a desperate measure.

[3.11] From a nearby shop he took a knife and killed his daughter, because he had no other means to prevent her from being dishonored.

[3.12] After this example of supreme injustice, the angry mob occupied the Aventine and forced the board to ten to abdicate.

[3.13] Appius, who had deserved the supreme punishment, was thrown into jail; the others were exiled.

[3.14] Itnote also contains an account of successful wars against the Sabines and Volscans, and of a rather dishonest arbitration by the Roman people,

[3.15] which had been asked to judge between the claims on a piece of land people of Ardea and Aricia, and kept it for itself.