History of the Romans under the Empire

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: The Comitia of the tribes were now rendered completely independent of the superior order: nevertheless it was some time before they asserted the powers thus secured to them in defiance of the senate, with which they had been long accustomed to co-operate harmoniously. The most flourishing period of the...
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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: The Comitia of the tribes were now rendered completely independent of the superior order: nevertheless it was some time before they asserted the powers thus secured to them in defiance of the senate, with which they had been long accustomed to co-operate harmoniously. The most flourishing period of the Roman free-state was that in which the two coordinate bodies were aware of their respective prerogatives, but each abstained from pressing them against the interests independent of the other. While the people were the real IhctribrTbai- depositaries of legislative power, the senate en- ScrccsfBen- j7ed the right of nominating provincial govern- utol ors, and through them of ruling the provinces: its decrees regarded the general administration of the empire, and these, as well as the appointments it made, were honourably respected by the assemblies of the commons. When, however, the Gracchi and their successors on the tribunitian benches thought fit violently to resent the advantages which the senate drew to itself from this division of government, the several prerogatives of the two orders, never accurately adjusted, were easily made to clash. The equilibrium of mutual forbearance once disturbed, it was impossible to restore the balance. Though the popular right of legislation was admitted, the senate had many ways of thwarting, as well as influencing it indirectly. The demagogues, to counteract this influence, resorted to the violent measure of requiring the assent of the senators to their most obnoxious propositions, under pain of judicial penalties.1 This state of chronic hostility and defiance was only for a moment suspended by the reforms of Sulla, who compelled the tribes to submit the Scita to the ratification of their rivals the senate. But the time had passed when the se...