WORKING AND WHILE
STANDING.”  AND ALL IN A CHORUS:  “WHILE WE LABOR SO, THOU ALONE, FREE
FROM CONTRIBUTION AND LABOR, LIKE A MISTRESS ART SERVED BY US ALL AND
THE FRUIT OF ALL OUR LABORS THOU THYSELF ALONE DOST ENJOY.”  THE BELLY
HERSELF ADMITTED THAT THIS WAS SO, AND SAID SHE:  “IF YOU LIKE, LEAVE
ME UNSUPPLIED AND MAKE ME NO PRESENTS.”  THIS PROPOSITION SUITED, AND
THE MEMBERS VOTED NEVER MORE TO SUPPLY THE BELLY BY THEIR COMMON
EFFORT.  WHEN NO FOOD WAS PRESENTED TO HER, THE HANDS WERE NOT NIMBLE
TO WORK, BEING RELAXED ON ACCOUNT OF THE FAILURE OF THE BELLY, NOR
WERE THE FEET POSSESSED OF STRENGTH, NOR DID ANY OTHER OF THE LIMBS
SHOW ITS NORMAL ACTIVITY UNINJURED, BUT ALL WERE INEFFICIENT, SLOW, OR
COMPLETELY MOTIONLESS.  AND THEN THEY COMPREHENDED THAT THE PRESENTS
MADE TO THE BELLY HAD BEEN SUPPLIED NOT MORE TO HER THAN TO THEMSELVES
AND THAT EACH ONE OF THEM INCIDENTALLY ENJOYS THE BENEFIT CONFERRED
UPON HER.

[Sidenote:  FRAG. 16^5] THROUGH THESE WORDS THE POPULACE WAS MADE TO COMPREHEND THAT THE ABUNDANCE OF THE PROSPEROUS TENDS ALSO TO THE ADVANTAGE OF THE POOR, AND THAT EVEN THOUGH THE FORMER BE ADVANTAGED BY THEIR LOANS AND SO INCREASE THEIR ABUNDANCE, THE OUTCOME OF THIS IS NOT HURTFUL TO THE INTERESTS OF THE MANY; SINCE, IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE WEALTHY OWNING PROPERTY, THE POOR WOULD NOT HAVE IN TIMES OF NEED PERSONS TO LEND TO THEM AND WOULD PERISH UNDER THE PRESSURE OF WANT.  ACCORDINGLY THEY BECAME MILDER AND REACHED AN AGREEMENT, THE SENATE FOR ITS PART VOTING A REDUCTION IN THEIR DEBTS AND A RELEASE FROM SEIZURE OF PROPERTY.

VII, 15.—­They feared, however, that when their society had been disbanded they might either find the agreements not effectual or might [Sidenote:  FRAG. 16^6] BE HARMED ON ACCOUNT OF THEIR SEPARATION, ONE BEING PUNISHED ON ONE PRETEXT, ANOTHER ON ANOTHER, in constant succession.  So they formed a compact to lend aid to one another in case any one of them should be wronged in any particular; and they took oaths to this effect and forthwith elected two representatives from their own number (and afterward still more) in order that by such a partnership arrangement they might have assistants and avengers.  And this they did not only once, but the idea now conceived in this form kept growing, and they appointed their representatives for a year, as to some office.  The men were called in the tongue of the Latins tribunes (the commanders of thousands are also so named) but are styled demarchoi in the Greek language.  In order that the titles of the tribuni might be kept distinct they added to the name of the one class the phrase “of the soldiers” and to that of the other class the phrase “of the people.”  These tribunes of the people, then, or demarchoi became responsible for great evils that befell Rome.  For though they did not immediately secure the title of magistrates, they gained power beyond all the rest,