This was the end of Appius’s playing a part at variance with his disposition.  Henceforward he began to live according to his natural character, and to mould to his own temper his new colleagues before they entered upon office.  They daily held meetings in private:  then, instructed in their unruly designs, which they concocted apart from others, now no longer dissembling their arrogance, difficult of access, captious to all who conversed with them, they protracted the matter until the ides of May.  The ides of May was at that time the usual period for beginning office.  Accordingly, at the attainment of their magistracy, they rendered the first day of their office remarkable by threats that inspired great terror.  For, while the preceding decemvirs had observed the rule, that only one should have the fasces, and that this emblem of royalty should pass to all in rotation, to each in his turn, lo!  On a sudden they all came forth, each with twelve fasces.  One hundred and twenty lictors filled the forum, and carried before them the axes tied up with the fasces,[44] giving the explanation that it was of no consequence that the axe should be taken away, since they had been appointed without appeal.  There appeared to be ten kings, and terrors were multiplied not only among the humblest individuals, but even among the principal men of the patricians, who thought that an excuse for the beginning of bloodshed was being sought for:  so that, if any one should have uttered a word that hinted at liberty, either in the senate or in a meeting of the people, the rods and axes would also instantly be brought forward, for the purpose of intimidating the rest.  For, besides that there was no protection in the people, as the right of appeal had been abolished, they had also by mutual consent prohibited interference with each other:  whereas the preceding decemvirs had allowed the decisions pronounced by themselves to be amended by appeal to any one of their colleagues, and had referred to the people some points which seemed naturally to come within their own jurisdiction.  For a considerable time the terror seemed equally distributed among all ranks; gradually it began to be directed entirely against the commons.  While they spared the patricians, arbitrary and cruel measures were taken against the lower classes.  As being persons with whom interest usurped the force of justice, they all took account of persons rather than of causes.  They concerted their decisions at home, and pronounced them in the forum.  If any one appealed to a colleague, he departed from the one to whom he had appealed in such a manner that he regretted that he had not abided by the sentence of the former.  An irresponsible rumour had also gone abroad that they had conspired in their tyranny not only for the present time, but that a clandestine league had been concluded among them on oath, that they would not hold the comitia, but by perpetuating the decemvirate would retain supreme power now that it had once come into their possession.