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

 The Roman Republic

claimed,byItalians:noonewastobeconsideredwhowasnotinfactaciti-
zen.^30 Itiseasyandnaturaltoseethisstepasanaction‘‘of’’thetwoconsuls;
butitwasnotonlytheirs.Likeanyotherlawithadtobenotifiedinadvance,
andproposedinpublicmeetingsbeforethepeople.Innumerableproposed
lawsmetopposition,bycounter-persuasionorforce,andmanywerenever
passed.Thisonewaspassed,bythevotesofthepeople.Contrastthiswiththe
eventsof–,whichmightreasonablybetakenastheprimeexampleof
divisionswithintheoffice-holdingclass,ofthepresentationofconflicting
viewsbeforethepeople,andofthepeople’seffectiverighttocallmembers
ofthesenatorialclasstoaccount,and(untilmilitarynecessitydictatedother-
wise)toprotectitsownconstitutionalpowers.Itisinstructivetocompare
thelawmootedbyLiviusDrusus,togivecitizenshiptotheItalians,which
(asitseems)nevercametoavote,withthatofVarius,directedagainstthose
whohadhelpedtheItalians,whichwaspassed.
Thereseemstobenodirectevidenceastowhatwassaidinsupportof,or
against,Drusus’lawtoenfranchisetheItalians;norisitquitecertainthatthe
mattereverreachedthestageofbeingdebatedinpublicmeetings.Thepub-
licmeetingheldbyDrususwhichtheconsul,L.MarciusPhilippus,triedto
interrupt,onlytosufferphysicalviolenceforhispains,apparentlyconcerned
theagrarianlaw,orlaws(Val.Max.,,;Devirill.,).Cicerodoes,how-
ever,describethepublicmeetingwhichPhilippusheldinSeptember,and
inwhichheraisedpopularfeelingagainsttheSenate,sayingthathewould
needtoseekanotheradvice(consilium);forwiththatSenate(asitthenwas)
hecouldnotconducttheaffairsoftherespublica.Drususthensummonedthe
Senate,toreportontheconsul’sspeech,andLiciniusCrassusdeliveredhis
swansong,adenunciationoftheconsul’sattackontheplaceoftheSenatein
thestate.Thecelebratednarrative(De or.,–)inwhichCiceroretailsall
thissurelyrevealsenoughtosuggestthattherealissueatthismomentwas
popularhostilitytoDrusus’proposal,andsuspicionofthosewithintheSen-
atewhowerebelievedtosupportit.AfewdayslaterCrassusdied.Afewdays
afterthatGaiusCottawas‘‘expelledfromthetribunatethroughrancour’’—
thatis,throughrancourhefailedtogainthetribunateforwhichhewasa
candidate (De or. , ).The reason is surelyclear from the fact that some
monthslaterhewasexiledunderthelawproposedbythetribuneQ.Varius,
andpassed,perhapsinratherthan,bythepeople.Thislawsetupacourt
into the actions of those ‘‘by whose assistance oradvice the [Italian] allies
hadtakenuparmsagainsttheRomanpeople’’(AsconiusC).Allthoseper-
sonsknowntohavebeencondemnedwereRomansenators.Theydidnotof

. Seeesp.Cicero.De off,,;Asconius–C.