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

 The Augustan Revolution

Inmysixth()andseventh()consulships,afterIhadextinguished

theflamesofthecivilwars,andhadgainedcontrolofallthingsbyuni-

versalconsent,Itransferredtherespublicafrommyownpower[potestas]

tothediscretion[arbitrium]oftheSenateandtheRomanpeople.For

thisworthyactofmineIwasnamedAugustus....AfterthistimeI

stoodaboveeveryoneelsebyvirtueofmyauctoritas,butIdidnothave

anymorepowerthantheothercolleaguesservinginofficewithme.

Augustus’wordsarecarefullychosen:exceptfortheconsulatesof–,,
and..heneverheldanyrepublicanmagistracyafterJanuary.Whathe
sayscanonlybeabsolvedofactualfalsehoodbybeingunderstoodtomean,
inthestrictestsense,thatasconsulhehadnopowersgreaterthanthoseofhis
successivecolleagues.Butatalltimesheheldotherpowerswhichtheydid
not,intheinitialperiodspecificallytherighttoappointlegatestogovernhis
provinces(seetexttonn.–);andafter..hisoccasionalconsulates
wereessentiallyirrelevanttohisposition.
Sowehavetobecautiousinconsideringthewordsheusestodescribe
theeventsofand.Heconspicuouslyfailstoclaimanyconstitutional
basisforhispoweruptothatpoint.Butwhathedoesclaimisthathetrans-
ferredtheres publicatothearbitriumoftheSenateandtheRomanpeople.We
cannot,ininterpretingthis,disregardtheviewofouronlynarrativesource
for these events, Cassius Dio,who considered that the offerof resignation
ofhispowersmadebyOctavianinJanuary..wasacharadewhichwas
deliberatelyintendedto,andimmediatelydid,resultinaformalcontinua-
tionofhiscontrolofthestate.^102 Theword‘‘discretion’’(arbitrium),again,can
refertoahistoricalfactif italludestoOctavian’sofferandthesubsequent
voteofSenateandPeopleinJanuary..;butifitcarriesanimplication
ofacontinuedpoliticalfreedomlastingbeyondthatpoint,thatisanother
matter.
To Dio,of course, there never was any such event as the restoration of
the Republic; for he, like Appian (Hist.,praef. /), regarded Actium as
the moment when monarchy returned to the Roman world.^103 It should,
however,benotedthathe,Appian,andSuetoniusallrefertoproposalsor
promises, made at various times by Octavian and Antonius, which would
haveamountedto‘‘restoringtheRepublic.’’Theformofwordsusedisalmost
alwaysthatofgiving backpower:

.Dio,,–,.

. Dio,,–.