As there seemed to be no solution of the difficulty and a kind of mental torpor appeared to beset the senate, the consul Laevinus came to the rescue.“ magistrates," he said,“take precedence of the senate senate of the UeOUle in honour and diomity: _so they ought to lead the way 二a‘J砂， in discharging unpleasant and difficult tasks.if) in la林ng any obligation on an inferior you have first decided that it is binding .o you and those connected with you, you will find that all are more ready to obey you. They do not feel an expense to be burdensome when they see each of their leaders bearing more than his due share of it. We want the Roman people to have fleets and to equip them, we want each citizen to furnish rowers and not to shirk his duty;then let us i mpose the burden on ourselves first of all. Let us, every one of us, bring our gold and silver and bronze money, to-morrow, to the treasury, only reserving the rings for ourselves, our wives and our children and the bullae 22 for our boys. Those who lave wives and dautzhters may keeD an ounce of Lrold for each ·:区 them, wltn reeara to silver. those who have occuDied 爹cmute dial招snoula KeeD the Dlatlria on their horse-traDDlr及 s 独公d two Dounds of silver that thev may have a dish and sait- )Alex for the gods.23 All the other senators should keeD only pane pound of silver. In the case of bronze coin let us retain tooo aces for each household. All the rest of our told and silver anct money let us place in the hands of the comnussloners of the treasury. No formal resolution should be passed;our contributions must be strictly voluntary;and our mutual rivalry to assist the commonwealth may stir up the equestrian order to emulate us, and after them, the plebs. This is the only course which we consuls have been able to devise after our lengthy discussion, and we beg you to adopt it with the hell of the nods. As long as the commonwealth is safe，each man': ’property is safe under its protection, but if you desert it, 11 will be in vain that you try to keep what you have." These suggestions were so favourably received that thf consuls were even thanked for them. No sooner did the senat( adjourn, than they each brought their gold and silver anC bronze to the treasury, and they were so eager to be among the first to have their names inscribed in the public register that the commissioners were not able to take over the amount.( or the clerks to e nter them fast enough. The equestrian order showed quite as mnrh zeal as the senate ，and the plebs were not behind the equestrian order. __In this way," .,咚hout any formal order or compulsion by the magistrates,: the Lull complement of. '2 r4,一owers. was made up, an the date put in a position to， pay them. As t坪preparations for war were now complete the consuls started for their respective provinces.