The so-called twelve tablets were thus created at that time.  But besides doing this the lawgivers in question, when their year of office had expired, still maintained control of affairs, occupying the city by force; and they would not convene the senate nor the people, lest, if they came together, they should depose them.  And when the AEqui and the Sabines now stirred up war against the Romans, these officials by arrangement with their adherents gained their object of having the conduct of the wars entrusted to them.  Of the decemvirate Servius Oppius and Appius Claudius remained at home:  the other eight set out against the enemy.

Absolutely all [Sidenote:  FRAG. 22^3] THE INTERESTS, however, OF STATE AND CAMP ALIKE WERE THROWN INTO CONFUSION, AND HENCE CONTENTION AGAIN AROSE.  The leaders of the force had invaded the land of the Sabines and sent a certain Lucius Sicius, who was accounted a strong tower in warfare and likewise one of the most prominent representatives of the populace, with companions, avowedly to seize a certain position; but they had the man slain by the party that had been sent out with him.  The report was brought into camp that the man with others had been killed by the foe, and the soldiers went out to gather up the dead bodies.  They found not one corpse belonging to the enemy but many of their own race, whom Sicius had killed in his own defence when they attacked him.  And when they saw that the dead were lying all around him and had their faces turned toward him, they suspected what had been done and furthermore raised a tumult.—­There was still another incident that had a bearing on the situation.

Lucius Virginius, a man of the people, had a daughter of surpassing beauty whom he intended to bestow in marriage upon Lucius Icilius,[12] a person of similar rank in society.  For this maiden Claudius conceived a passion, and not otherwise able to attain his ends he arranged with certain men to declare her a slave:  he was to be the arbiter.  The father of the girl accordingly came from the camp and pled his case.  When Claudius had given sentence against her and the girl was delivered to those who had declared her a slave and no one came to the rescue, her father wild with grief took a cleaver and ended his daughter’s life and, just as he was, rushed out to the soldiers.  They, who had been previously far from tractable, were so wrought up that they straightway set out in haste against the city to find Claudius.  And the rest, who had gone on a campaign against the Sabines, when they learned this abandoned their intrenchments, and, joining with the rest, set at their head twenty men, determined to accomplish something of importance.  The remainder of the multitude in the city likewise espoused their cause and added to the tumult.

[Footnote 12:  Zonaras spells Icillius.]