Ab urbe condita

This victory of the tribunes and the plebs very nearly led to a dangerous abuse of power. A secret understanding was come to amongst the tribunes that they should all be reappointed and to prevent their factious purpose from being too noticeable they were to secure a continuance of the consuls in office also.

They alleged as a reason the agreement of the senate to undermine the rights of the plebs by the slight they had cast on the consuls:

“What,” they argued, “would happen if, before the laws were yet securely established, the patricians should attack fresh tribunes through consuls belonging to their own party?

For the consuls would not always be men of the stamp of Valerius and Horatius, who subordinated their own interests to the liberty of the plebs.” By a happy chance it fell to the lot of M. Duillius to preside over the elections.

He was a man of sagacity, and foresaw the obloquy that would be incurred by the continuance in office of the present magistrates. On his declaring that he would accept no votes for the former tribunes his colleagues insisted that he should either leave the tribes free to vote for whom they chose, or else resign the control of the elections to his colleagues who would conduct them according to law rather than at the will of the patricians.