Zonaras 7.12 Part III: Expulsion of Collatinus; Rise of Publicola

The remaining conspirators are executed; Brutus urges the murder of Collatinus:

After Brutus’ sons had died, Brutus ordered that a vote be taken concerning the punishment of the other conspirators. He said, “I have discharged my duty as judge in the case of my sons; I yield the vote concerning the others to the people, who are free.” When the vote had been taken, all of the conspirators were killed with axes. Some of these men were the cronies of Collatinus, and he was angered on their account. For that reason, Brutus goaded the people on against him as a minor man, and urged them to murder him with their own hands. They did not do this, but they did compel him to abandon his office. They chose as consul in his place Publius Valerius, who was given the honorary name of Publicola. The name would, converted into Greek, most clearly express that he cared for the people (demokede) or was on the people’s side (demotikotaton).

Οὕτω δὲ τούτων θανόντων καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων συνωμοτῶν ψῆφον ἐνεγκεῖν ὁ Βροῦτος ἀπῄτητο. ὁ δέ “τοῖς μὲν υἱέσιν” εἶπεν “αὐτὸς ἀποχρῶν εἰμι δικαστής, περὶ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων τοῖς πολίταις ἐλευθέροις οὖσι τῆς ψήφου παραχωρῶ.” ψήφου τοίνυν δοθείσης πάντες ἐπελεκίσθησαν. ἦσαν δὲ τούτων τινὲς τῷ Κολλατίνῳ προσήκοντες· δι’ οὓς καὶ ὠργίζετο.
ὅθεν ὁ Βροῦτος οὕτω κατ’ αὐτοῦ τὸν δῆμον παρώξυνεν ὡς μικροῦ καὶ αὐτοχειρίᾳ αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἐποίησαν, τὴν δ’ ἀρχὴν ἠνάγκασαν αὐτὸν ἀπειπεῖν. εἵλοντο δὲ ἀντ’ ἐκείνου συνάρχοντα Πόπλιον Οὐαλέριον, ὃς Ποπλικόλας προσωνομάσθη· δηλοῖ δ’ ἡ κλῆσις ἐξελληνιζομένη δημοκηδῆ ἢ δημοτικώτατον.

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