1Appius prefaces his decree by saying that the very law which Verginius' friends were holding up as a pretext for their demand showed how far he had favoured liberty; 2but liberty would have a firm protection in it only if it did not vary with cases or persons; 2for in the case of those who were claimed as free, that was indeed the rule, because anyone at all could take action at law; 2in the case of a girl who was in her father's power, there was no one else to whom the master should yield possession; 3he therefore ruled that the father should be summoned, and that meanwhile the claimant should not suffer the loss of his right, but should take the girl away and promise that she would be produced on the arrival of the man said to be her father.
4When many were muttering against the injustice of the decree, rather than any one man daring to refuse it, Publius Numitorius, the girl's grandfather, and Icilius, her betrothed, intervene; 4and when a way had been made for them through the crowd, since the multitude believed that Appius could best be resisted through Icilius' intervention, the lictor says that judgement has been given and moves Icilius aside as he protests loudly. 6So savage an injustice would have inflamed even a placid temper. 6'You will have to remove me from here with the sword, Appius,' he says, 'if you are to have silence about what you want kept hidden. 7I am going to marry this maiden and to have her as a chaste wife.
7So call together all your colleagues' lictors too; 7order the rods and axes to be made ready; 7the betrothed of Icilius shall not stay outside her father's house. 8Even if you have taken away from the Roman plebs the help of the tribunes and the right of appeal, the two citadels for defending liberty, it does not follow that a tyranny over our children and wives as well has been granted to your lust. 9Rage against our backs and our necks; 9let chastity at least be safe! 9If violence is offered to her, I shall call on the good faith of the citizens here present on behalf of my betrothed, Verginius on that of the soldiers on behalf of his only daughter, and all of us on that of gods and men, nor will you ever carry out that decree of yours without our blood.
10I demand, Appius, that you consider again and again where you are heading. 11Let Verginius see to what he does about his daughter when he comes; 11let him know only this, that if he yields to this man's claim, he will have to look for another match for his daughter. 11As for me, in claiming my betrothed's freedom, life will sooner fail me than loyalty.'