4.13
It was at that time that
Spurius Maelius, a member of the equestrian order
and a very wealthy man for those days, entered upon
an undertaking, serviceable in itself, but forming a
very bad precedent and dictated by still worse
motives. Through the instrumentality of his clients
and foreign friends he purchased corn in Etruria,
and this very circumstance, I believe, hampered the
Government in their efforts to cheapen the market.
He distributed this corn gratis, and so won the
hearts of the plebeians by this generosity that
wherever he moved, conspicuous and consequential
beyond an ordinary mortal, they followed him, and
this popularity seemed to his hopes a sure earnest
of a consulship. But the minds of men are never
satisfied with Fortune's promises, and he began to
entertain loftier and unattainable aims; he knew the
consulship would have to be won in the teeth of the
patricians, so he began to dream of royalty. After
all his grand schemes and efforts he looked upon
that as the only fitting reward which owing to its
greatness must be won by the greatest exertions. The
consular elections were now close at hand, and as
his plans were not yet matured, this circumstance
proved his ruin. T. Quinctius Capitolinus, a very
awkward man for any one meditating a revolution, was
chosen consul for the sixth time, and Agrippa
Menenius, surnamed Lanatus, was assigned to him as
his colleague. Lucius Minucius was either
reappointed prefect of the corn-market, or his
original appointment was for an indefinite period as
long as circumstances required; there is nothing
definitely stated beyond the fact that the name of
the prefect was entered on the "Linen Rolls" among
the magistrates for both years. Minucius was
discharging the same function as a State official
which Maelius had undertaken as a private citizen,
and the same class of people frequented both their
houses. He made a discovery which he brought to the
notice of the senate, viz., that arms were being
collected in Maelius' house, and that he was holding
secret meetings at which plans were being
undoubtedly formed to establish a monarchy. The
moment for action was not yet fixed, but everything
else had been settled; the tribunes had been bought
over to betray the liberties of the people, and
these leaders of the populace had had their various
parts assigned to them. He had, he said, delayed
making his report till it was almost too late for
the public safety, lest he should appear to be the
author of vague and groundless suspicions.
On hearing this the leaders of the senate
censured the consuls of the previous year for having
allowed those free distributions of corn and secret
meetings to go on, and they were equally severe on
the new consuls for having waited till the prefect
of the corn-market had made his report, for the
matter was of such importance that the consuls ought
not only to have reported it, but also dealt with
it. In reply, Quinctius said that the censure on the
consuls was undeserved, for, hampered as they were
by the laws giving the right of appeal, which were
passed to weaken their authority, they were far from
possessing as much power as will to punish the
atrocious attempt with the severity it deserved.
What was wanted was not only a strong man, but one
who was free to act, unshackled by the laws. He
should therefore nominate Lucius Quinctius as
Dictator, for he had the courage and resolution
which such great powers demanded. This met with
universal approval. Quinctius at first refused and
asked them what they meant by exposing him at the
close of his life to such a bitter struggle. At
last, after well-merited commendations were showered
upon him from all parts of the House and he was
assured that "in that aged mind there was not only
more wisdom but more courage than in all the rest,"
whilst the consul adhered to his decision, he
yielded. After a prayer to heaven that in such a
time of danger his old age might not prove a source
of harm or discredit to the republic, Cincinnatus
was made Dictator. He appointed Caius Servilius
Ahala as his Master of the Horse.