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

Popular Politics at Rome 

scaleofthebooty,and,whatismore,thevastincreaseintherecurringtaxa-
tionincomeoftheEmpirewerealldemonstratedinvisualformbeforethe
people.^16 Itisnotsurprisingthatthelawof..aboutDelos,referredto
earlier,notonlylooksbacktothelawofwhichGabiniushadpassedas
tribune(againstalmostuniversaloppositionfromtheSenate);asaresultof
it,thelawofrecalls,thepirateshadbeen‘‘overcomeanddestroyed’’;but
thetextofthelawalsodescribesthepresentstateofaffairsasoneinwhich
theimperiumhadbeenexpanded(amplificatum)andpeaceachievedthrough-
outtheworld.^17 Inalso,ofcourse,Caesarwastobeginhiscampaignsin
Gaul,achancewhichhetooowedtoalawproposedbyatribune,andpassed
bythepeople,in;initselfanotherlawproposedbyClodiusastribune,
wouldsendCatotoannexthePtolemaickingdomofCyprus.Theconsti-
tutionalandpoliticalissuewhichwasatstakeinthiscasewasalsopresented
quiteexplicitlytothepeople.CicerotwicerecordsthatCaesarwrotefrom
GaultocongratulateClodiusonputtingCatointhisposition;hisacceptance
of this commission would prevent him from complaining in future about
grants of extraordinary powers. More important, however, is the fact that
thisletterwasthenreadoutbyClodiustothecrowdassembledatapublic
meeting.^18 IfCatowasembarrassedbythismission,hedidnotshowitwhen
hereturnedin..HesailedbacktoRomeinoneoftheroyalgalleys,and
hadtheroyaltreasuresparadedthroughtheForum,totheamazementofthe
people.Onceagain,theprofitsoftheEmpirewereliterallydemonstratedto
thepublic.^19
YetanotherlawofClodius,passedinJanuary,establishedforthefirst
timethatthemonthlygraindistributionmadetothepeopleofRomeshould
befreeofallcharge.ToCicerothislawseemed,assuchlawsalwaysdid,a
misuseoftherevenuesofthestate:‘‘withtheremissionofthechargeabouta
fifthoftherevenueswouldberemoved.’’Toothersitwasclearly,asAsconius
says,‘‘extremelypopular’’;tothemitwillsurelyhaveseemedthefulfilment
of the principle put forward earlier, by the Gracchi: ‘‘what could be more
justthanthattheimpoverishedpeopleshouldbesupportedfromtheirown
treasury’’?^20
I would like to suggest that we should, among other perspectives, also
try to see the evolution of the Roman Empire, and the pattern of Roman

. Seeesp.Plut.,Pomp..

. Seen.;seell.–oftext.

. Cic.,Dom.;Sest..

. Plut.,Cato Min..

. Cic.,Sest.;Asconius,ed.Clark,;Florus,Epit.,.