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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,
这些人是patricians（贵族）——这个词的意思大致相当于“市议员”——但是你不可以把这个时代的市议员想象为真正的城市居民，
but old landowning families with vast estates of fields and meadows.
其实他们只是拥有大片牧场和农田的富裕农民。
And they alone had the right to choose officials to govern the city, once there were no more kings.
自从不再有国王以后，只有这些人有权选举城市的官员。
In Rome the highest officials were the consuls.
罗马的高级官员叫执政官。
There were always two of them ruling jointly, and they held office for just one year.
总是同时有两名执政官，他们只行使一年职权。
Then they had to stand down.
然后他们就必须下台。
Of course, the patricians weren't the only people who lived in the city,
当然，古罗马贵族不是居住在这座城市的唯一居民。
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门望族或只有少量农田，你就不高贵。
The others were the plebeians, and they were almost a caste of their own as in India.
其他人被称为平民，他们几乎自成一个等级，就像在印度那样。
A plebeian couldn't marry a patrician. Still less could he become a consul.
一个平民男子不可以娶贵族女子为妻。他自然更不会成为执政官。
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，连在城外战神广场上的公民大会上投票表决的权利他都没有。
But the plebeians were many and every inch as strong-willed and stubborn as the patricians.
但平民人数众多并且是跟贵族一样严酷而又意志坚强的人。
