Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 1 - The Roman Republic and the Augustan Revolution

 The Roman Republic

mobviolenceintheForum;andsomeatleastofthecoloniesenvisagedwere
neversent.
Thisissue—oftheextension,orrathernon-extension,ofcitizenrights—
wasonlyoneofawholeseriesof issuesonwhichtheRomanpeoplewere
calledupontovotebetweenand..Theseissueswerenotallcon-
troversial,andthepassingofalawmightonoccasionbeamereformality.
Buttheydidincludethesetting-upofpermanentcourts(quaestiones),forthe
prosecutionofextortion(repetundae)andhightreason(maiestas)atleast,and
thequalificationsanddutiesofthejurors;theproceduresinvoting—thatis,
aboveall,theseriesoflawsontheuseoftheballotpassedinthesand;
theestablishmentofthebasicconstitutionalprinciplethatonlythepeople
couldsetupacourtwithcapitaljurisdiction;thetransfertothepeopleof
theelectionofmembersofthepriestlycolleges,proposedin,passedin
;theuseofthepubliclandinItaly,andinAfrica;theusetobemadeof
thelegacyofAttalusofPergamon;andtheconductofwars—inatleastthree
forms:thedirectappointmentofcommanderstowars,overridingthenor-
maldistributionofprovincesbylot;theuseoftribunicianlegislationpassed
bythepeopletogivedirectinstructionstoholdersofimperium,asinthelaw
of/ontheeasternprovinces;andthepassingoflawstoestablishspecial
adhoccourtstoexaminemisconductindiplomaticandmilitaryaffairs.
Manyoftheknownsumptuarymeasurestoowerealsolaws,thoughde-
creesoftheSenate(senatus consulta)couldperformasimilarfunction,asin
..(AulusGellius,NA,,).Thosewhichwerelawswerevotedbythe
people,andinvolvedpersuasionanddiscussionbeforethepeople,asearlier
inCato’sspeechtothepeopleaboutthegrowthofprivateluxury(Polybius
,,).Oneimportantaspectofallthiswaspreciselythearousal,byora-
tory,ofpopularresentmentandsuspicionaboutthelife-stylesoftherich.
Anotableexamplewasthepublicaltercationbetweenthecensorsof,re-
volvingspecificallyroundtheluxuriouscharacterofCrassus’house(ORF^3 ,
pp.ff.).Buttherestrictionsinthelawswhichthepeoplepassedmight
latercometoseemtooburdensomeonthevotersthemselves.Asthetribune
DuroniussaidtothePeoplefromtheRostrain,whenproposingtheabro-
gationofasumptuarylaw,‘‘Reinshavebeenplacedonyou,Citizens,which
arenottobetolerated’’(Val.Max.,,).
Thislistdoesnotexhaustallthecategoriesof legislativeactivityinthis
period.Ithasalsotobeseeninimmediateconjunctionwiththosetrialsbe-
forethepeoplewhichinvolvedquestionsoftheconstitution,orofthesafety
ofthestate.Threeexamplesofthesewillsuffice:firstly,theprosecutionof
Opimius,consulof,bythetribuneDeciusin.Thetrialwasbrought
beforethepeople,andtheissuewaswhetherthepassingofthenoveldecree