LESSON IV.

By this and frequent Struggles of this Sort, which the People had made before, they at length obtained the Establishment of the Tribunefhip, which confifted of two Officers annually chofen out of the Order of the Plebeians, with Authority ta prevent the Injustices that might be done to the People, and to defend their Interefts both public and private, Rome, by this Eftablishment, made a great Advance towards a new Change in the Form of her Government. It had paffed before from the Monarchic State, to a kind of Aristocracy; for upon the Expulfion of Tarquin, the whole Authority did really and in fact devolve upon the Senate and the Great: But now, by the Creation of the Tribunes, a Democracy began to take place, and the People, by infenfible Degrees, and under different Pretences, got Poffeffion of the much greater Share in the Government. A Famine which raged at Rome, foon after the Establishment of this Office, occafions great Complaints amongst the People; and a large Supply of Corn being procured from Sicily by the Patricians, Coriolanus, a young Senator, who had done great Services to the State as a General, is for taking Advantage of the People's Diftress, to get the Tribunefhip abolished, which he propofes in the Senate. The Tribunes and the People, enraged at this, determine to profecute Coriolanus, and, after much Altercation, defire to be heard by the Senate in relation to their Charge against him; where Decius, one of the Tribunes, makes the following Speech.

OU know, Confcript Fathers, that having by our Affiftance expelled Tarquin, and abolished the Regal Power, you established in the Republic the Form of Government which is now observed in it, and of which we do not complain. But neither can you be ignorant, that in all the Differences which any poor Plebeians had afterwards with wealthy Patriciaus, thofe Plebeians conftantly loft their Caufes, their Adverfaries being their Judges, and all the Tribunals being filled with Patricians only. This Abufe was what made Valerius Poplicola, that wife Conful and excellent Citizen, establish the Law which granted an Appeal to the People, from the Decrees of the Senate, and the Judgments of the Confuls.

Such

Such is the Law called Valeria, which has always been looked upon as the Bafis and Foundation of the public Liberty. It is to this Law that we now fly for Redress, if you refuse us the Juftice we demand upon a Man, black with the greatest Crime that it is poffible to commit in a Republic. It is not a fingle Plebeian complaining, it is the whole Body of the Roman People, demanding the Condemnation of a Tyrant, who would have deftroyed his Fellow-Citizens by Famine, has violated our Magiftracy, and forcibly repulfed our Officers, and the Ediles of the Commonwealth. Coriolanus is the Man we accuse of having propofed the Abolition of the Tribuneship, a Magiftracy made facred by the moft folemn Oaths. What need is there of a Senatus-Confultum to profecute a Criminal like this? Does not every Man know that thofe particular Decrees of the Senate, are requifite only in unforeseen and extraordinary Affairs, and for which the Laws have as yet made no Provifion? But in the prefent Cafe, where the Law is fo direct, where it exprefsly devotes to the infernal Gods those that infringe it, is it not to become an Accomplice in the Crime to hefitate in the leaft? Are you not apprehenfive that these affected Delays, this Obftruction you throw in the Way of our Proceedings against the Criminal, by the pretended Neceffity of a previous Decree of the Senate, will make the People inclined to believe that Coriolanus only spoke the Sentiments of you all?

I know that several among you complain it was merely by Violence that we extorted your Confent for the Abolition of the Debts, and the Establishment of the Tribunefhip. It will even fuppofe that in the high Degree of Power to which you had raised yourselves after the Expulfion of Tarquin, it was neither convenient nor honourable for you to yield up Part of it in Favour of the People; but you have done it, and the whole Senate is bound by the most folemn Oaths never to undo it. After the Establishment of those facred Laws, which render the Perfons of your Tribunes inviolable, will you in compliance with the firft ambitious Man that arifes, attempt to revoke what makes the Security and Peace of the State? Certainly you never will; and Í dare anfwer for you, fo long as I behold in this Affembly thofe venerable Magiftrates who had fo great a Share in the Treaty made upon the Mons Sacer. Ought you to fuffer a Matter like this to be fo much as brought into Deliberation? Coriolanus is the firft, who by his feditious Advice has endeavoured to break thofe facred Bonds which, ftrengthened by the Laws, unite the feveral Orders of the State. It is he alone who is

for destroying the Tribunitian Power, the People's Asylum, the Bulwark of our Liberty, and the Pledge of our Re-union. In order to force the People's Confent, in order to perpetrate one Crime, he attempts another much greater. He dares even in a holy Place, and in the midst of the Senate, propose to let the People die of Hunger. Cruel and unthinking Man at the fame Time! Did he not confider, that this People whom he meant to exterminate with fo much Inhumanity, and who are more numerous and powerful than he could wish, being reduced to Defpair, would have broken into the Houses of the Rich, forced open thofe Granaries, and thofe Cellars which conceal fo much Wealth, and would either have fallen under the Power of the Patricians, or have totally rooted out that whole Order? Could he imagine that an enraged Populace would in such a Cafe have hearkened to any Law, but what was dictated by Neceffity and Resentment?

For that you may not be unacquainted with the Truth, we would not have perifhed by a Famine brought upon us by our Enemies but having called to witnefs the Gods, Revengers of Injuftice, we would have filled Rome with Blood and Slaughter. Such had been the fatal Confequences of the Counfels of that perfidious Citizen, if fome Senators, who had more Love for their Country, had not hindered them from taking Effect. It is to you, Confcript Fathers, that we addrefs our juft Complaints. It is to your Aid, and to the Wisdom of your Decrees, that we have recourse, to oblige this public Enemy to appear before the whole Roman People, and anfwer for his pernicious Counfels. It is there, Coriolanus, that thou muft defend thy former Sentiments, if thou dareft fo to do, or excufe them as proceeding from want of Thought. Take my Advice; leave thy haughty and tyrannical Maxims; make thyfelf lefs; become like us; nay put on a Habit of Mourning, fo fuitable to thy present Fortune. Implore the Pity of thy Fellow-Citizens, and perhaps thou may'ft obtain their Favour, and the Forgivenefs of thy Faults.

LESSON

LESSON V.

When Decius left off Speaking, all the Senators waited, fome with impatient Defire, others with unealy Apprehenfions, to hear how Appius Claudius would declare himself. This Appius was one of thofe Patricians who had always the most violently oppofed the Tribunitial Power. At its firft Eftablishment he foretold the Senate, that they were fuffering a Tribunal to be fet up, which by Degrees would rife against their Authority, and at length destroy it. When it came to his Turn to speak, he deliver'd himself thus.

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YOU know, Confcript Fathers, that I have long oppofed, and frequently alone, that too great Eafiness with which you grant the People whatever they demand. Perhaps I made myself troublesome, when I fo frankly laid before you the Misfortunes which I prefaged would follow, from our Re-union with the Deferters from the Commonwealth. The Event however has but too well juftified my Apprehenfions. That Share of Power which you yielded up to thofe feditious Men, is now turned against your felves. The People punish you by means of your own Benefactions; they take Advantage of your Favour to ruin your Authority. 'Tis in vain for you to attempt to hide from yourfelves the Danger which the Senate is in; you cannot but fee there is a Defign to change the Form of our Government: The Tribunes make gradual Advances to the Tyranny. At first the only Demand was the Abolition of the Debts; and this People, who are now fo haughty, and who endeavour to make themfelves the fupreme Judges of the Senators, then thought they ftood in need of a Pardon, for the difrefpectful Manner in which they fued for that Conceffion.

Your Eafinefs gave occafion to new Pretenfions; the People would have their particular Magiftrates. You know how earnestly I opposed thefe Innovations; but in fpight of all I could do, you affented in this Point alfo; you allowed the People to have Tribunes, that is to fay, perpetual Ringleaders of Sedition. Nay, the People intoxicated with Fury, would have this new Magiftracy confecrated in a particular Manner, fuch as had never been practifed, not even in favour of the Confulfhip, the firft Dignity in the Republic. The Senate confented to every thing, not fo much out of

Kind

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Kindness for the People, as want of Refolution; the Perfons of the Tribunes were declared facred and inviolable, and a Law made to that Effect. The People required that it should be confirmed by the moft folemn Oaths; and that Day, O Fathers! you swore upon the Altars the Deftruction of yourselves and Children. What has been the Fruit of all thefe Favours? They have only ferved to make you contemptible in the Eyes of the People, and to increase the Pride and Infolence of their Tribunes, who have made to themselves new Rights and Prerogatives. These modern Magiftrates, who ought to live as mere private Men, take upon them to convene the Affemblies of the People, and without our Privity procure Laws to be enacted by the Voices of a base Rabble.

It is to fo odious a Tribunal that they now fummon a Patrician, a Senator, a Citizen of your Order; in a word, Corolianus, that great Captain, and withal that good Man, yet more illuftrious for his Adherence to the Interefts of the Senate, than for his Valour. They prefume to make it a Crime in a Senator to fpeak his Opinion in full Senate, with that Freedom fo becoming a Roman; and if yourfelves had not been his Buckler and Defence, they had affaffinated him even in your Prefence. The Majefty of the Senate was just going to be violated by this Murder; the Refpect due to your Dignity was forgot, and you yourselves were lofing both your Empire and your Liberty.

The Refolution and Courage which you fhewed upon this laft Occafion, in fome meafure awakened these Madmen from their drunken Fit. They feem now to be afhamed of a Crime which they could not compleat; they defift from violent Methods, because they have found them unfuccefsful, and they feemingly have recourfe to Juftice, and the Rules of Law.

But what is this Juftice, immortal Gods! which these Men of Blood would introduce? They endeavour, by Appearances of Submiffion, to furprize you into a Senatus-Confultum, which may give them Power to drag the beft Citizen of Rome to Punishment. They alledge the Lex Valeria as the Rule of your Conduct; but does not every body know, that this Law, which allows of Appeals to the Aflembly of the People, relates only to fuch poor Plebeians, as being deftitute of all other Protection, might be oppreffed by the Credit of a strong Cabal? The Text of the Law is plain; it exprefsly fays, that a Citizen condemned by the Confuls fhall have Liberty to appeal to the People. Poplicola, by this Law, only provided a Refuge for thofe unhappy Men, who had Reafon to complain of having been condemned by prejudiced Judges. The Defign of the

Law,