Ab urbe condita

There was every prospect of a serious contest, had not Fabius smoothed matters by a suggestion acceptable to both sides, namely, that as there was a considerable quantity of land which had been taken from the Volscians the previous year, under

the auspicious general-ship of T. Quinctius, a colony might be settled at Antium, which, as a seaport town, and at no great distance from Rome, was a suitable city for the purpose.

This would allow the plebeians to enter on public land without any injustice to those in occupa-tion, and so harmony would be restored to the State. This suggestion was adopted. He appointed as the three commis-sioners for the distribution of the land, T. Quinctius, A. Verginius, and P. Furius.

Those who wished to receive a grant were ordered to give in their names. As usual, abundance produced disgust,2 and so few gave in their names that the number was made up by the addition of Volscians as colonists.

The rest of the people preferred to ask for land at Rome rather than accept it elsewhere. The Aequi sought for peace from Q. Fabius, who had marched against them, but they broke it by a sudden incursion into Latin territory.

[*](War with the Aequi and Volscians.)In the following year, Q. Servilius —for he was consul with Sp. Postumius —was sent against the Aequi, and fixed his entrenched camp on Latin territory. His army was attacked by an epidemic and compelled to remain inactive.

The war was protracted into the third year, when Quinctius Fabius and T. Quinctius were the consuls. As Fabius after his victory had granted peace to the Aequi, they were by special edict assigned to him as his sphere of operation.