3.46
The people were excited
and a conflict appeared imminent. The lictors had
closed round Icilius, but matters had not got beyond
threats on both sides when Appius declared that it
was not the defence of Verginia that was Icilius'
main object; a restless intriguer, even yet
breathing the spirit of the tribuneship, was looking
out for a chance of creating sedition. He would not,
however, afford him material for it that day, but
that he might know that it was not to his insolence
that he was making a concession, but to the absent
Verginius, to the name of father, and to liberty, he
would not adjudicate on that day, or issue any
decree. He would ask M. Claudius to forego his
right, and allow the girl to be in the custody of
her friends till the morrow. If the father did not
then appear, he warned Icilius and men of his stamp
that neither as legislator would he be disloyal to
his own law, nor as decemvir would he lack firmness
to execute it. He certainly would not call upon the
lictors of his colleagues to repress the ringleaders
of sedition, he should be content with his own. The
time for perpetrating this illegality was thus
postponed, and after the girl's supporters had
withdrawn, it was decided as the very first thing to
be done that the brother of Icilius and one of
Numitor's sons, both active youths, should make
their way straight to the gate and summon Verginius
from the camp with all possible speed. They knew
that the girl's safety turned upon her protector
against lawlessness being present in time. They
started on their mission, and riding at full speed
brought the news to the father. While the claimant
of the girl was pressing Icilius to enter his plea
and name his sureties, and Icilius kept asserting
that this very thing was being arranged, purposely
spinning out the time to allow of his messengers
getting first to the camp, the crowd everywhere held
up their hands to show that every one of them was
ready to be security for him. With tears in his
eyes, he said, "It is most kind of you. Tomorrow I
may need your help, now I have sufficient
securities." So Verginia was bailed on the security
of her relatives. Appius remained for some time on
the bench, to avoid the appearance of having taken
his seat for that one case only. When he found that
owing to the universal interest in this one case no
other suitors appeared, he withdrew to his home and
wrote to his colleagues in camp not to grant leave
of absence to Verginius, and actually to keep him
under arrest. This wicked advice came too late, as
it deserved to do; Verginius had already obtained
leave, and started in the first watch. The letter
ordering his detention was delivered the next
morning, and was therefore useless.