The Terentilian Law. Matters at home drifted back to their old state;the successes in the war forthwith evoked disorders in the City. Gaius Terentilius :Harsa was a tribune of the -Dlebs that vear. Thinking that the absence of the consuls afforded a Good omaortunity for trzbunztzan aparitation, he spent several davs in haranzum.z the weoeians on the overoearmg arro,ance of the patricians. in particular ne unvezivnect apraznst the authority of the consuls as excessive and intolerable in a free commonwealth, for whilst in name it was less invidious, in reality it was almost more harsh and oppressive than that of the kings had been, for now, he said, they had two masters instead of one, with uncontrolled, unlimited powers, who, with nothing to curb their licence, directed all the threats and penalties of the laws against the plebeians.v几prev ti y To prevent this unfettered tyranny troth lastinz for ever. he said. he wou坦UrODose 巳an enactment ‘.1 A儿占 that a commission of five should be appointed to draw u p in the laws which regulated the power of the consuls. Whatever jurisdiction over themselves the people gave the consul. that and that only was he to exercise;he was not to J his own licence and caurice as law. when而s measure was Dromulzatea. ine patricians were ensive lest in the absence of the consuls they might have aPltoQ.att accept the yoke. A, meeting of the senate was convened by Fabius. the Dref ect of the Citv. :He made such a violent ack upon the proposed law anal its author, that the threats and intimidation could not have been greater even if the two consuls had been standing by the tribune, threatening his life.He accused ham of plotting treason, of seizing a favourablemoment for compassing the ruin of the commonwealth. " Hadthe gods," he continued., " given us a tribune like him last year,during the pestilence and the war, nothing could have stoppedhim. After the death of the two consuls, whilst the State was lying prostrate, he would have passed laws, amid the universalconfusion, to deprive the commonwealth of the power of theconsuls, he would have led the Volscians and zEqui in an attackon the City. Why, surely it is open to him to impeach theconsuls for whatever tyranny or cruelty they may have beenguilty of towards any citizen, to bring them. to trial before thosevery judges, one of whom had been their victim. His action wasmaking-not the authority of the consuls, but--the power of the tribunes odious and intolerable, and after being exercised Deaceablvalldinhanno叮withthepeaceably and in ha ony with呼patricians, that power was now reverting to itso1Qevl上 p·“八sto’1’ere old evilPractices.’‘Asto’fereAtIlius, heAs tT would not dissuade him front continuing as he bezan. As to your..”al.u ,.:““‘U‘“以 sa id Fabiusal“the other tribunes, we beg you to reflect that班tnenrstlnstanceyourthat an the tarsi power wasconferredupon you for the assistance of individual citizens，not for the ruin o all; you have been elected as the tribunes of the plebs, not 上吐3本‘ the esofthePatricians，To us it is distressing, to youes of the patricians. isa s0urceofodiumthatthecommonwealt11should be thus attackedsource of odium that the whileitiswithoutitshead.youwill. not impair your rights,while it is without its head. but you will lessen the odium felt against you if you arrange WlthyourC0llea只UetOnaVetneWn01e matter adjourned.ue to nave the wnoleawith your co arr1Va10ttneC0nSUIs. ,ven the t奋qul ana v o1scl athe consunsarrival o，aster tne consulshadbeen carried off by the epidemic last year, did notconsuls harass us with a cruel and ruthless war." The tribunes came to an understanding withTerentilius and theDr0ceedings were ostensibly adjourned, but, as a matter ofthe nroceedin fact, abandoned. '1}lae consuls werelm现edlatelysu功moned home.