3.59
Great alarm seized the
patricians; the looks of the tribunes were now as
menacing as those of the decemvirs had been. M.
Duillius the tribune imposed a salutary check upon
their excessive exercise of authority. "We have
gone," he said, "far enough in the assertion of our
liberty and the punishment of our opponents, so for
this year I will allow no man to be brought to trial
or cast into prison. I disapprove of old crimes,
long forgotten, being raked up, now that the recent
ones have been atoned for by the punishment of the
decemvirs. The unceasing care which both the consuls
are taking to protect your liberties is a guarantee
that nothing will be done which will call for the
power of the tribunes." This spirit of moderation
shown by the tribune relieved the fears of the
patricians, but it also intensified their resentment
against the consuls, for they seemed to be so wholly
devoted to the plebs, that the safety and liberty of
the patricians were a matter of more immediate
concern to the plebeian than they were to the
patrician magistrates. It seemed as though their
adversaries would grow weary of inflicting
punishment on them sooner than the consuls would
curb their insolence. It was pretty generally
asserted that they had shown weakness, since their
laws had been sanctioned by the senate, and no doubt
was entertained that they had yielded to the
pressure of circumstances.