Meanwhile Claudius in terror had hidden himself and Oppius convened the senate; and sending to the populace he enquired what they wanted.  They demanded that Lucius Valerius and Marcus Horatius, two of the senators who favored their cause, be sent to them, saying that through these men they would make their reply.  Owing to the fear of the ten magistrates (for they were now all on the scene) that the people would employ the two as leaders against them they were not sent, whereupon the populace grew still more angry.  As a consequence the senators were inspired with no slight fear and against the will of the magistrates they sent Valerius and Horatius to the people.  By this means a reconciliation was effected:  the rioters were granted immunity for their acts, and the decemvirate was abolished; the annual magistracies, including that of tribunes, were restored with the same privileges as they had formerly enjoyed.  Virginius was one of the magistrates appointed; and they cast into prison Oppius and Claudius (who committed suicide before their cases were investigated), and indicted, convicted, and banished the remainder of the board.

[Sidenote:  B.C. 449 (a.u. 305)] VII, 19.—­Now the consuls—­it is said that this is the first time they were known as consuls, being previously called praetors; and they were Valerius and Horatius—­both then and thereafter showed favor to the populace and strengthened their cause rather than that of the patricians.  The patricians, though subdued, would not readily convene and did not put matters entirely in the power of the lower class, but granted the tribunes the right of practicing augury in their assemblies:  nominally this was an honor and dignity for them, since from very ancient times this privilege had been accorded the patricians alone, but really it was a hindrance.  The nobles intended that the tribunes and the populace should not accomplish easily everything they pleased, but should sometimes be prevented under this plea of augury.  The patricians as well as the senate were displeased at the consuls, whom they regarded as favorable to the popular cause, and so did not vote a triumph to them—­though each had won a war—­and did not assign to each a day as had been the custom.  The populace, however, both held a festival for two days and voted triumphal honors to the consuls.

(BOOK 6, BOISSEVAIN.)

[Sidenote:  B.C. 448 (a.u. 306)] When the Romans thus fell into discord their adversaries took courage and came against them.  It was in the following year, when Marcus Genucius and Gaius Curtius were consuls, that they turned against each other.  The popular leaders desired to be consuls, since the patricians were in the habit of becoming tribunes by transference to their order, and the patricians clung tenaciously to the consular office.  They indulged in many words and acts of violence against each other.  But in order to prevent the populace from proceeding to greater extremities the nobles yielded