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19]
The Italian allies who complained of these disturbances,
and
especially of the lawsuits hastily brought against them, chose Cornelius
Scipio, the destroyer of
Carthage, to defend them against these grievances. As he
had availed himself of their very valiant services in war he was reluctant
to disregard their request. So he came into the Senate, and although, out of
regard for the plebeians, he did not openly find fault with the law of
Gracchus, he expatiated on its difficulties and held that these causes ought
not to be decided by the triumvirs, because they did not possess the
confidence of the litigants, but should be turned over to others. As his
view seemed reasonable, they yielded to his persuasion, and the consul
Tuditanus was appointed to give judgment in these cases. But when he took
hold of the work he saw the difficulties of it, and marched against the
Illyrians as a pretext for not acting as judge, and since nobody brought
cases for trial before the triumvirs they relapsed into idleness. From this
cause hatred and indignation arose among the people against Scipio because
they saw him, in whose favor they had often opposed the aristocracy and
incurred their enmity, electing him consul twice contrary to law, now taking
the side of the Italian allies against them. When Scipio's enemies observed
this, they cried out that he was determined to abolish the law of Gracchus
utterly and was about to inaugurate armed strife and bloodshed for that
purpose.
