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

Popular Politics at Rome 

swearwithinfivedaystoobeyitsprovisions.Takentogether,theseandother
measures of the period represent both an assertion of popular sovereignty
andrepeatedattemptstoreapthebenefitsofempireforthepeople.^23
TheSocialWarof..,theextensionoftheRomancitizenshiptoall
ofItaly,andtheconsequentdoublingofthenumberofpersonsinprinciple
qualifiedtovoteinRomerepresentedonemajordisturbanceofthispolitical
pattern;Iwillcomebacklatertosomeofitsconsequences.Anotherdistur-
banceofcoursewastheestablishmentbyforceofSulla’scounter-revolution
in , and the constitutional changes which were then imposed. It is im-
portanttostresshowprofoundacounter-revolutionthiswas.Whateverthe
exactformoftheremovaloftribunicianlegislation,theveryfactthatthis
stepwastakendemonstratesthecentralityoftheoperationofpopularsov-
ereignty.Sodoestheforceofthereactioninthefollowingdecade.Forby
..alltheessentialelementsofpopularpoliticshadreassertedthemselves.
WhenC.AureliusCotta,asconsulin..,passedalawtogivebacktothe
tribunestherighttostandforfurtheroffice,itwas‘‘againstthewillofthe
nobilitas,butwithgreatpopularenthusiasm.’’^24 L.Quinctius,astribunein,
isdescribedbyCiceroashavingbroughtbackthe‘‘tribunicianvoice’’tothe
Rostra,abandonedsinceSulla,andcausedthepeopletobecomeonceagain
accustomedtopublicmeetings.^25 M.Seius,aedileinthesameyear,provided
oil and grain at a modest price for the Roman people, apparentlycontrib-
utingthecostfromhisownpocket.Asaresulthebecameapopularhero;
statuesofhimwerededicatedontheCapitolandthePalatine,andondeath
hewascarriedtohiscremationbythepeople.^26 Theconsulsofthenextyear,
,carriedalawforthepurchaseofgrainintheprovinces,forconsumption
inRome.Demandsfortherestorationofthetribunatecontinued,coupled
withpopularsuspicionoftheoperationsoftheextortioncourt,asconducted
bythesenatorialjurors.Indeed,ifwemaybelieveCicero,thelatterquestion
aroused even more feeling than the former. For in his first speech against
Verres,of..,herecallsanoccasioninthepreviousyear:^27

Finally,whenCn.Pompeiushimself,asconsuldesignate,heldhisfirst

publicmeetingnearthecity,inwhich,asseemedtobethethingmost

. Forasketchofthewaysinwhichtheseissuesplayedaroleinoratoryaddressedto
thePeople,seeF.Millar,‘‘Politics,PersuasionandthePeoplebeforetheSocialWar,’’JRS
():(chapterinthisvolume).
. Asconius,ed.Clark,–.
. Cic.,Cluent.–.SeeBroughton,MRRII,.
. Cic.,De off.,;Pliny,NH,;,.
. Cic.,Verr.,.