Publius Villius Tappulus stepped up to the rostra to address the voters again.

”Quirites,

You see how arrogant these Patricians are! Valerius Messala simply assumes that any Patrician candidate will be superior in merit to any Plebeian. He offers no reason for this outdated point of view.

He is, however, right to point out that we have had no Plebeian Consul since Patricus Curius Hibernicus in the year DLXII. This is not good for the Republic and should be corrected unless the Patrician candidates really are better and more qualified than me. But are they? Hardly, citizens – rather are some of them little more than inexperienced boys. Claudius Nero is only 39 years of age, whilst Ulpius Sisenna is a mere stripling of 36. There should be a Law forbidding such juveniles to put themselves forward for the Consulship!

I call on you to vote for experience and I call on all Plebeians to vote for me as the only Plebeian candidate amongst this throng of Patricians! ”