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These were the patricians – the word means something like 'city fathers' – although in those days they weren't citizens as we know them,
這些人是patricians（貴族）——這個詞的意思大致相當于“市議員”——但是你不可以把這個時代的市議員想象為真正的城市居民，
but old landowning families with vast estates of fields and meadows.
其實他們只是擁有大片牧場和農田的富裕農民。
And they alone had the right to choose officials to govern the city, once there were no more kings.
自從不再有國王以后，只有這些人有權選舉城市的官員。
In Rome the highest officials were the consuls.
羅馬的高級官員叫執政官。
There were always two of them ruling jointly, and they held office for just one year.
總是同時有兩名執政官，他們只行使一年職權。
Then they had to stand down.
然后他們就必須下臺。
Of course, the patricians weren't the only people who lived in the city,
當然，古羅馬貴族不是居住在這座城市的唯一居民。
but if you didn't have illustrious ancestors or great estates you weren't noble.
但是如果你不是出生于名門望族或只有少量農田，你就不高貴。
The others were the plebeians, and they were almost a caste of their own as in India.
其他人被稱為平民，他們幾乎自成一個等級，就像在印度那樣。
A plebeian couldn't marry a patrician. Still less could he become a consul.
一個平民男子不可以娶貴族女子為妻。他自然更不會成為執政官。
He wasn't even allowed to voice his opinion at the People's Assembly on the Field of Mars outside the city gates.
是的，連在城外戰神廣場上的公民大會上投票表決的權利他都沒有。
But the plebeians were many and every inch as strong-willed and stubborn as the patricians.
但平民人數眾多并且是跟貴族一樣嚴酷而又意志堅強的人。
