Ancient Rome: An Introductory History (12 page)

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The Veientes let loose some cattle in a plain. The Fabii saw the cattle and carelessly went to round them up, having no fear of the Veientes after beating them in the small battles. The Fabii were rounding up the cattle when the concealed Veientes suddenly burst forth from their hiding places: the Fabii were surrounded. After a long and hard-fought battle, all the Fabii but one were killed.

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Chapter 8
Class Conflict in Rome

When the Romans expelled the Tarquins from the city in 509
B.C.
, the uprisingmostly of nobles, and led by a nobleman, Brutuswas a response to tyrannical practices that mostly affected only the nobility. In the following decades and even centuries Roman government, now aristocratic, often came under fire, but from plebeians protesting the tyranny of the aristocracy. Early in the fifth century, as the Romans were fighting the Aequi, Volsci, and Veientes, the plebeians became increasingly unhappy with the aristocratic government, for common people held no political offices and had little representation in the government. Moreover, as small-scale farmers, they lacked the financial resources to alleviate their lot. The farmer's life is difficult enough, but Roman farmers were also subject to periods of service in the Roman army, and Roman soldiers at that time did not receive pay for their military service. Many Romans, under the double burden of farming and soldiering, fell into debt and became vulnerable to the debt laws, which allowed the debtor in default of his loan to be sold into slavery or even killed by his creditor. Since the lenders were the wealthy aristocrats, the debtors and common people received little aid from the government.

The only help that the common people received had a social, not a legal, basis and actually served to strengthen the power of the aristocracy. This was the patron-client relationship. A poor, powerless person in need could seek the help and protection of a rich, powerful persongenerally a noblewho, as the patron, would give the poor personnow his clientthe legal and financial help he needed, but in turn would expect help and support

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from the client when his own time of need arose. This relationship had almost religious overtones, and was passed down from generation to generation. While many patrons no doubt helped many plebeians avoid starvation, eviction from their houses, or prosecution in courts of law, the relationship still strengthened the power of the nobles. It shows how powerless the common people were in relation to the nobles, for patrons helped clients at their own pleasure and to meet their own goals. Further, many nobles amassed great numbers of clients because doing so increased their political power. The plebeians felt that with the expulsion of the monarchy, they had exchanged one king for a host of kings.


The citizens were grumbling that while they were fighting wars abroad for empire and freedom, at home they were enslaved and oppressed by other citizens; the freedom of the common people was safer in war than in peace and among the enemy than among fellow citizens. The outstanding calamity of one man further inflamed the common people's bitterness, already burning hot on its own.

A certain man of advanced age rushed into the forum, bearing the signs of all his misfortunes. His clothing was covered with filth, but fouler still was the condition of his body, pale and racked by disease. What's more, a long unkempt beard and hair made his face look like an animal's. He was nonetheless recognized, despite the change from what he had once been, and the people said that he had once been a centurion [in charge of 100 soldiers and roughly equivalent to a sergeant in the U.S. army]. Pitying him, they talked about his other awards for valor. He himself showed his proof of honorable battlesthe wounds on his chest, a wound for each battle. To their asking why he had deteriorated so, he responded (now a great crowd had congregated, as if an assembly had been called) that while fighting in the Sabine war, he had not only lost his year's crop after the destruction of his farm, but also his cottage had been burned down, all his possessions stolen, and his flocks driven off; on top of that, taxes were levied during those hard times, forcing him to borrow money.


After interest was added to other losses, he finally lost the farm that his ancestors had worked, and then he lost everything else. After that, destruction came to his body like a disease; he was taken by his creditors not to slavery but to a workhouse and to the executioner. Then he showed his back, scarred with recent lashes of the whip. (Livy II.23.2-7)

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The plebeians began to clamor for a change, but the senators and consuls could not agree how to alleviate their distress. During the deliberations, news came that the Volsci were marching on Romenews that is said to have caused the common people to cheer and to encourage each other not to fight. They preferred that the city should perish rather than that the patricians should continue ruling them. The consul Servilius then issued an edict making it illegal to put a Roman citizen into chains or into prison for debt, thus keeping him from serving in the army; to seize or sell the property of any soldier on active service; or to interfere with his children or grandchildren. The Romans then conquered the Volsci.

The problem was still not solved. Servilius could accomplish very little against the opposition not only of the Senatemany of whom were allied to the creditorsbut also of the other consul, Appius Claudius, who allowed creditors to put debtors in chains and in prison. Groups of citizens ganged up to protect fellow citizens who were about to be arrested, and beat back the lictors sent to make the arrest.

The Plebeians Secede; Tribuni Plebis Created

Finally, the common people decided to secede from Rome. With their weapons and provisions they encamped on the Sacred Mount, outside the city. Rome was surrounded by enemies, who were constantly looking to attack, so the city was vulnerable with most of its soldiers settling on the Sacred Mount. The Senate then sent Menenius Agrippa to speak with them, for they did not hate him as much as they hated the other senators. He gave this speech:

''Once upon a time, the parts of the body did not have one mind, as they now do, but each part had its own mind and its own voice. The parts of the body were indignant that by their work, slavery, and diligence, everything was sought for the stomach. The stomach, at rest in the middle, did nothing but enjoy the pleasures given it by the others. So they swore an oath that the hands would not carry food to the mouth, that the mouth would not receive the food that was given, and that the teeth would not chew the food that they had received. While they wanted to subdue the stomach by hunger, the members themselves and the whole body all at

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