19.01.25: H & B; level 2; reading; the Twelve Tables

Praeter aliās causās īrae propter ūnam praecipuē causam plēbēiōrum animī īrā excitābantur. Iūs administrābant sōlī patriciī, lēgēs tamen omnīnō erant nūllae: itaque iūs omne ad arbitrium patriciōrum semper administrātum erat. Tandem prō cōnsulibus decemvirī ā populō creātī sunt: decemvirī prīmō bene imperium administrāvērunt et lēgēs omnibus nōtās condēbant. Magnum erat gaudium plēbēiōrum: decemvirī iterum creantur. Iam tamen crūdēliter auctōritātem exercēbant: praecipuē Appius Claudius per superbiam omnium īram movēbat. ‘Imperium,’ inquit, ‘decemvirīs populus concessit: imperium nōn dēpōnēmus.’ Tum iterum ad Montem Sacrum plēbēiī discessērunt: statim decemvirī imperium dēposuērunt nec iterum creātī sunt. Manēbant tamen novae lēgēs in duodecim tabulīs scrīptae.

[A]

[1] Lines 1 – 4 (Praeter … erat)

What was the main cause of the Plebeians’ anger? (3)

[2] Lines 4 – 6 (Tandem … creantur)

1. Give three pieces of information about the decemvirs (3)
2. How do we know the people were happy? (1)

[3] Lines 6 – 9 (Iam … dēponēmus)

1. How did the decemvirs act after that? (1)
2. Why was everybody angry with Appius Claudius? (1)
3. Why, according to Appius Claudius, would the decemvirs not relinquish their authority? (1)

[4] Lines 9 – end (Tum … scrīptae)

1. How did the Plebeians react to this? (1)
2. What did the decemvirs do? (1)
3. What were the two outcomes of this? (2)

[B] Find the Latin

1. (they) were aroused ¦ by anger
2. (they) had been administered
3. (they) are elected again
4. (and they) were not elected again
5. new laws ¦ written on twelve tables

[C] Which of the five Latin versions in [B] above is:

• a passive participle in a phrase
• present passive
• imperfect passive
• perfect passive
• pluperfect passive

[D] How does this passage reflect the concept of “power to the people”? How does it serve as warning against abuse of authority? Can this passage and the previous passage on Cincinnatus give us some insight into the Roman attitude towards political power?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Tables

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decemviri

Image: loix (M.Fr. lois) des douze tables (1799)