At this point, the fury of the mob drove the consuls and their lictors from the forum; the lictors were manhandled, and their fasces broken; the consuls took refuge in the senate house, as the senate deliberated its response. Over the objections of the hard-liners, the senior members prevailed, and took no further actions against the people. For his courage in resisting an unjust order, knowing that it might lead to his death, Publilius became a hero to the people, and was elected one of the tribunes of the plebs for the following year.Dionysius, ix. 39.Niebuhr, vol. II, pp. 209, 210.
