Now at first they did not enter the senate-house, but sitting at the entrance watched proceedings, and in case aught failed to please them, they would show resistance.  Next they were invited inside.  Later, however, the ex-tribunes were numbered with the senators, and finally some of the senators actually were permitted to be tribunes, unless a man chanced to be a patrician.  Patricians the people would not accept:  having chosen the tribunes to defend them against the patricians, and having advanced them to so great power, they dreaded lest one of them might turn his strength to contrary purposes and use it against them.  But if a man abjured the rank given him by birth and changed his social standing to that of a common citizen, they received him gladly.  Many of the patricians whose position was unquestioned renounced their nobility through desire for the immense influence possible, and so became tribunes.

Such was the growth of the domination of the tribunes.  In addition to them the people chose two aediles, to be their assistants in the matter of documents.  They took charge of everything that was submitted in writing to the plebs, to the populace, and to the senate, and kept it, so that nothing that was done escaped their notice.  This and the trying of cases were the objects for which they were chosen anciently, but later they were charged with the supervision of buying and selling, whence they came to be called agoranomoi ("clerks of the market”) by those who put their name into Greek.

(BOOK 5, BOISSEVAIN.)

VII, 16.—­The first revolution of the Romans, then, terminated as described.  Many of the neighboring tribes had found in the revolution a hostile incentive, and the Romans with a unified purpose after their reconciliation conducted vigorously the wars which the latter waged, and conquered in all of them.  It was at this time that in the siege of Corioli they came within an ace of being driven from their camp, but a patrician, Gnaeus Marcius, showed his prowess and repelled the assailants.  For this he received various tokens of renown and was given the title of Coriolanus from the people which he had routed. [Sidenote:  FRAG. 17^2] FOR THE TIME HE WAS THUS EXALTED BUT NOT LONG AFTERWARD HE WAS ANXIOUS TO BE MADE PRAETOR AND FAILED, AND THEREFORE GREW VEXED AT THE POPULACE AND EVINCED DISPLEASURE TOWARD THE TRIBUNES.  HENCE THE TRIBUNES (WHOSE FUNCTIONS HE WAS ESPECIALLY EAGER TO ABOLISH) HEAPED UP ACCUSATIONS AGAINST HIM AND FIXED UPON HIM A CHARGE OF AIMING AT TYRANNY AND EXPELLED HIM FROM ROME.  HAVING BEEN EXPELLED HE FORTHWITH BETOOK HIMSELF TO THE VOLSCI.  The latter’s leaders and those in authority over them were delighted at his arrival and again made ready for war; Attius Tullius urged this course upon them all, but the people showed lack of enthusiasm.  So when the nobles neither by advice nor by intimidation could prevail upon them to take up arms, they concocted the following