38 STORY OF THE ROMAN PEOPLE
poorer . The plebeians could not even get employment on the land , for they were liable to be called away to war at any moment ; and the patricians naturally preferred slaves who could be kept at their work .
Some, even among the patricians, saw how unfairthis was, and one of them , Spu rius Cas'si-us, proposed that the patricians be obliged to pay a fair rental for the land which they were using , and that part of the state lands be di vided into
' small farms and given to needy Romans and Latins . Then there was anger among the patricians. Spurius Cassius is trying to make himself popular and become king, they de clared ; and even the plebeians were not especially grateful, for, although the Latins had become their allies, they did not like the idea of giving them Roman lands . This land law , or A-gra ri-an Law, may possibly have been passed, but it was never carried out .
Nevertheless, the plebeians were slowly increasing in
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Tadema
VINTAGE FESTIVAL
HOW THE PLEBEIANS WON THEIR RIGHTS 39
power . Their next gain came about by the passing of a law a proposed by the tribune, Pub - lil'i- us . The tribunes had al ways been elected by the assembly of the centuries. Each century had one vote ; but as more than half the centuries were made up of wealthy men , no one who would not be inclined to favor the rich rather than the poor could become a tribune. Publilius proposed that the tribunes be elected by a plebeian assembly of tribes , or meeting of plebeians who were land -owners. In this assembly of tribes which he proposed , every vote would be of the same value. This law was finally passed , and now the plebeians were free to elect their own tribunes . They had nothing to do with making the laws; but if they did not obey those made by the patricians , the tribunes could protect them from unjust punishment .
The Romans had a great respect for law , but the laws of Rome had never been written . An unjust judge could declare that the law said whatever he wished it to say , and the ac cused man had no way of proving that the judge was false . Give us written laws, demanded the plebeians . Put them up in the forum , that every man may know if he is breaking them . The patricians refused this demand , and they continued to refuse it for ten long years. The plebeians persisted, and at the end of that time the patricians yielded. Instead of consuls and tribunes, ten men, the de-cem'vi-ri, were chosen to rule the state and also to decide what the laws were. This was done. The laws were engraved on tablets of bronze, and these tablets, the Twelve Tables, were set up in the forum where everyone could read them . Copies of the
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40 STORY OF THE ROMAN PEOPLE
laws were made to use in the schools , and every boy had to learn them by heart .
The Romans meant to elect new decemviri each year, but a proud and insolent man named Appius Claudius , grandson of the Appius Claudius who so despised the plebeians, con trived to get himself reëlected and to make the other nine yield to whatever he chose to do . He suspected that a brave old soldier was plotting against him , and he had the old man murdered. Hewanted to getpossessionof afree-bornmaiden named Vir-gin'i-a , and therefore he declared as a judge that she was the slave of one of his fol lowers . Then her father caught up a knife and plunged it into her heart .
This is the only way, " he cried , " to keep you from slavery and shame. With the bloody knife still in his hand , he and a great com pany of citizens hastened to the army and told the terrible story . Then the soldiers left their generals and marched straight back to the city . Once more the plebeians went forth to the Sacred Mountain ; and now Appius Claudius was in terror, for they declared that they would not return unless
DEATH OF VIRGINIA