gentia et quae sine certamine maximo obtineri non possent. 6 Omnium igitur simul rerum quarum inmodica cupido inter mortales est, agri, pecuniae, honorum discrimine proposito conterriti patres cum trepidassent publicis privatisque consiliis, nullo remedio alio praeter expertam multis iam ante certaminibus intercessionem invento, collegas adversus tri7 bunicias rogationes conparaverunt. Qui ubi tribus ad suffragium ineundum citari a Licinio Sextioque viderunt, stipati patrum praesidiis nec recitari rogationes nec sollemne 8 quidquam aliud ad sciscendum plebi fieri passi sunt. Iam

henceforth only consuls should be elected; see on § 2. - -- consulumque . . . crearetur: sc. ut from the preceding ne. - utique: at least.

possent: a relative clause of characteristic; cf. Praef. 11 inmigraverint. There were other less important clauses not included here, that a certain proportion of free laborers should be employed; that no one should pasture more than 100 cattle and 500 sheep on the public lands; that the duoviri sacris faciundis should be increased to ten, and of these five should be plebeians; this last proposal, according to Livy, was made several years later. Appian, B.C. 1, 8.

6. simul: such a law, containing several diverse clauses, was called lex satura. discrimine proposito a contest having been set on foot involving all those things etc.- publicis . . . consiliis in their public and private deliberations. nullo remedio alio:

.

7. tribus: the comitia tributa was probably first organized in 447 B.C. and included both patricians and plebeians, the latter, of course, in a large majority. In § 8 the same body is called concilium, and it should be said that some authorities maintain that the comitia tributa and the concilium plebis were the same thing, a body composed of plebeians only. rogationes: rogatio is the technical name of a bill for which a magistrate asks the approval of the people. It was read (recitare) by a clerk. sollemne: cf. 39, 15, I sollemne carmen precationis, quod praefari solent priusquam popu

que frustra saepe consilio advocato cum pro antiquatis rogationes essent, "bene habet" inquit Sextius; "quando quidem tantum intercessionem pollere placet, isto ipso telo tutabimur plebem. Agitedum, comitia indicite, patres, 9 tribunis militum creandis; faxo ne iuvet vox ista 'veto,' quam nunc concinentes collegas nostros tam laeti auditis." Haud inritae cecidere minae; comitia praeter aedilium tri- 10 bunorumque plebi nulla sunt habita. Licinius Sextiusque tribuni plebis refecti nullos curules magistratus creari passi sunt; eaque solitudo magistratuum et plebe reficiente duos tribunos et iis comitia tribunorum militum tollentibus per quinquennium urbem tenuit.

8. pro antiquatis essent: were considered as rejected; the verb antiquo (lit. to leave in its ancient condition) is the technical term for the rejection of a bill. Approval, on the other hand, was expressed by the words uti rogas. - bene habet : a colloquial expression; all right.

9. agitedum: see on 2, 29, II. faxo: an old fut. perf. form, sometimes, as here, having the force of the future. - veto: the protest of the tribune; intercedo and intercessio are the technical words referring to such action. concinentes: chanting.

10. aedilium tribunorumque plebi: apparently the election of

these magistrates could not be prevented by the tribunician intercessio. Otherwise, the senate would have made use of tribunes to prevent the reëlection of Licinius and Sextius. For the form plebi see on 3, 35, 8.- curules magistratus: see on 5, 41, 2.— per quinquennium: this statement is not generally accepted, as it is thought that the state could not have existed for five years without magistrates of controlling power. According to Diod. 15, 75 (cf. Plin. 16, 44) the interregnum lasted only one year.

The proposals were first introduced in 377. The struggle for their passage was continued for ten years, Licinius and Sextius being elected every year. Meantime, on account of a war with Velitrae, they had allowed the

9

42. Vixdum perfunctum eum bello atrocior domi seditio 37. excepit; et per ingentia certamina dictator senatusque victus, ut rogationes tribuniciae acciperentur; et comitia consulum adversa nobilitate habita, quibus L. Sextius de plebe 10 primus consul factus. Et ne is quidem finis certaminum fuit. Quia patricii se auctores futuros negabant, prope secessionem plebis res terribilesque alias minas civilium I certaminum venit, cum tandem per dictatorem condicionibus sedatae discordiae sunt concessumque ab nobilitate plebi de consule plebeio, a plebe nobilitati de praetore uno, qui 12 ius in urbe diceret, ex patribus creando. Ita ab diutina ira tandem in concordiam redactis ordinibus cum dignam eam

II. condicionibus: by an agreement, compromise. — sedatae sunt : see on 5, 46, I convertit.· - praetore in 242 B.C. a second praetor was added, one having charge of cases between citizens (praetor urbanus), the other of cases in which one or more of the parties were foreigners (praetor peregrinus). The number was constantly increased until under Julius Caesar there were sixteen. A plebeian held the office for the first time in 337 B.C. patribus nobilitate, the whole class of patricians.

=

rem senatus censeret esse, meritoque id, si quando umquam alias, deum inmortalium fore, ut ludi maximi fierent et dies unus ad triduum adiceretur, recusantibus id munus aedili- 13 bus plebis, conclamatum a patriciis est iuvenibus se id honoris deum inmortalium causa libenter facturos, ut aediles fierent. Quibus cum ab universis gratiae actae essent, 14 factum senatus consultum, ut duoviros aediles ex patribus dictator populum rogaret, patres auctores omnibus eius anni comitiis fierent.

...

12. si . . . alias: see on 1, 28, 4. deum inmortalium: connect with merito; according to the merit of the gods, i.e. as they deserved. ut.. adiceretur: this clause was anticipated in dignam, but the intervening words, merito • fore, unless they are to be taken as entirely parenthetical, compel us to explain it as a substantive clause, in app. with id. - ludi maximi : first celebrated, according to Livy 1, 35, 9, by Tarquinius Priscus, sollemnes (celebrated in fulfillment of a vow), deinde annui, mansere ludi, Romani magnique varie appellati. They came to be celebrated regularly in the fall, and the number of days, originally one, was constantly increased until, under Augustus, the celebration continued from the 4th of September to the 15th; see on 45, I, 2. After they were regularly established as an annual festival, they were called ludi Romani. They included a procession, char

iot races, athletic contests, and, after 364 B.C., dramatic perfor

mances.

13. recusantibus: as the state furnished the money, it is hard to find a reason for this refusal; probably this is an attempt to explain another concession on the part of the plebeians. — aedilibus plebis: first appointed in 494 as assistants of the tribunes, but their powers had been gradually increased; they had a general supervision of certain festivals. ut: provided that; cf. Sen. Ben. 2, 15, I dabo egenti, sed ut ipse non egeam.

14. aediles: curule aediles were elected by the comitia tributa, and some years later acquired membership in the senate. The patricians relinquished in a few years the exclusive right to the office. — rogaret: used with two accusatives in the technical sense, to propose for election. auctores: see on § 10.

B.C.

BOOK VII

Beginning of the Drama

12. Et hoc et insequenti anno C. Sulpicio Petico, C. 2 Licinio Stolone consulibus pestilentia fuit. Eo nihil dig364 num memoria actum, nisi quod pacis deum exposcendae causa tertio tum post conditam urbem lectisternium fuit. 3 Et cum vis morbi nec humanis consiliis nec ope divina levaretur, victis superstitione animis ludi quoque scaenici, nova res bellicoso populo- nam circi modo spectaculum fuerat, inter alia caelestis irae placamina instituti di

Book VII. 2. References: Val. Max. 2, 4, 4. Teuffel, Hist. of Roman Lit., trans. by Warr, 1, 328. Sellar, Roman Poets of the Republic, 37-42, 52-58. Nettleship, Essays, 61-66. Mommsen, Hist. of Rome, 2, 97-99; 3, 135 ff.

2. 1. C. Licinio Stolone: his colleague in the tribuneship, L. Sextius, had been consul two years before, in 366, the first plebeian who held the office.

fore them, and prayers were offered at all the shrines.

3. quoque with reference not to lectisternium, but to the following inter alia. nova res: no

doubt there had been before this rude performances of a more or less dramatic nature, especially at the festivals of rural gods, but they had never been given officially before, or with any formality. Verg. Georg. 2, 385 ff.; Hor. Epist. 2, 145-146; Tibull. 2, 1, 51 ff. It is probable that this innovation is to be connected with the extension of the ludi Romani and the appointment of curule aediles to manage the festival; see 6, 42, 12-14. circi the valley of the Circus Maximus, between the Palatine and the Aventine, was used for games, according to the tradition, as early as Romulus, but no seats were constructed until the reign of Tarquinius Priscus. - spectacu