9.20
M.
Foslius Flaccina and L. Plautius Venox were the next consuls. In this year
several communities amongst the Samnites made overtures for a fresh treaty.
These deputations, when admitted to an audience, prostrated themselves on
the ground, and their humble attitude influenced the senate in their favour.
Their prayers, however, were by no means so efficacious with the Assembly,
to which they had been referred by the senate. Their request for a treaty was
refused, but after they had spent several days in appealing to individual
citizens, they succeeded in obtaining a two years' truce. In Apulia, too, the
people of Teanum and Canusium, tired of the constant ravages which they
had suffered, gave hostages and surrendered to the consul, L. Plautius. It
was in this year also that prefects were first appointed for Capua and a code
of laws given to that city by the praetor, L. Furius. Both these boons were
granted in response to a request from the Campanians themselves as a
remedy for the deplorable state of things brought about by civic discord.
Two new tribes were formed, the Ufentine and the Falernian. As the power
of Apulia was declining, the people of Teate came to the new consuls, C.
Junius Bubulcus and Q. Aemilius Barbula, to negotiate for a treaty. They
gave a formal undertaking that throughout Apulia peace would be
maintained towards Rome, and the confident assurances they gave led to a
treaty being granted, not, however, as between two independent states; they
were to acknowledge the suzerainty of Rome. After the subjugation of
Apulia -for Forentum, also a place of considerable strength, had been
captured by Junius -an advance was made into Lucania, and the consul,
Aemilius, surprised and captured the city of Nerulum. The order introduced
into Capua by the adoption of Roman institutions had become generally
known amongst the states in alliance with Rome, and the Antiates asked for
the same privilege; as they were without a fixed code of laws or any regular
magistrates of their own. The patrons of the colony were commissioned by
the senate to draw out a system of jurisprudence. Not only the arms of Rome
but her laws were spreading far and wide.
