A History of Rome During the Later Republic and Early Principate Part 30

[730] App. _Bell. Civ_. i. 26. Plut. (_C. Gracch_. 16) states that Flaccus fled to a bathroom ([Greek: _eis ti balaneion_]).

[731] Dionys. viii. 80.

[732] Plut. l.c.

[733] Val. Max. iv. 7. 2; [Victor] _de Vir. Ill_. 65; Oros, v. 12.

Plutarch (l.c.) gives he second name as Licinius.

[734] Plut. l.c.

[735] [Victor] l.c.

[736] Translated "Grove of the Furies" by Plutarch; cf. Cic. _de Nat.

Deor_. iii. 18. 46. The true name of the grove was Lucus Furrinae, named after some G.o.ddess, whose significance was forgotten (Varro _L. L_. vi.

19 Nunc vix nomen notum paucis). See Richter _Topographie_ p. 271.

[737] Plut. _C. Gracch_. 17. Cf. Val. Max. vi. 8. 3.

[738] Plin. _H.N_. x.x.xiii. 3. 48. Cf. Plut. l.c.; [Victor] l.c.; Florus ii. 3 (iii. 15).

[739] Oros. v. 12.

[740] Oros. l.c. Opimius consul sicut in bello fortis fuit ita in quaestione crudelis. Nam amplius tria milia hominum suppliciis necavit, ex quibus plurimi ne dicta quidem causa innocentes interfecti sunt.

Plutarch (l.c.) gives three thousand as the number actually slain in the tumult. Orosius (l.c.) gives the number slain on the Aventine as two hundred and fifty. For the severity with which Opimius conducted the _quaestio_ see Sall. _Jug_. 16. 2, 31. 7; Vellei. ii. 7.

[741] Plut. l.c.

[742] Dig. xxiv. 3. 66. The pa.s.sage speaks of Licinia's dowry; yet Plutarch (l.c.) says that this was confiscated.

[743] In Plutarch's Greek version (C. Gracch, 17) [Greek: _ergon aponoias_] (vecordiae) [Greek: _naon h.o.m.onoias_] (concordiae) [Greek: _poiei_].

[744] Cf. Neumann _Geschichte Roms_. p. 259.

[745] Plut, _C. Gracch_, 18.

[746] Plut. _C, Gracch_, 19.

[747] Plin. _H.N_. x.x.xiv. 6. 31.

[748] Hence the establishment of the _praefecti jure dicundo_, sent to the burgess colonies and _municipia_.

[749] Arist. _Pol_. iv. 6, p. 1292 b.

[750] The choice of the month of July as the date for elections seems to be post-Sullan. See Mommsen _Staatsr_. i. p. 583. During the Jugurthine War consular elections took place, as we shall see, in the late autumn or even in the winter.

[751] Suet. _Caes_. 42.

[752] If some of the Gracchan a.s.signments were thirty _jugera_ each (p.

115). The larger a.s.signments of earlier times had been from seven to ten _jugera_. See Mommsen in C.I. L. i. pp. 75 foll.

[753] Liv. _Ep_. lxi L. Opimius accusatus apud populum a Q. Decio tribuno plebis quod indemnatos cives in carcerem conjecisset, absolutus est. "In carcerem conjicere" does not express the whole truth. A magistrate could imprison in preparation for a trial. The words must imply imprisonment preparatory to execution and probably refer to death in the Tullianum.

[754] Cic. _de Orat_. ii. 30. 132; _Part. Orat_. 30, 104. In the latter pa.s.sage Opimius is supposed to say "Jure feci, salutis omnium et conservandae rei publicae causa." Decius is supposed to answer "Ne sceleratissimum quidem civem sine judicio jure ullo necare potuisti."

The cardinal question therefore is "Potueritne recte salutis rei publicae causa civem eversorem civitatis indemnatum necare?" Cf. Cic.

_de Orat_. ii. 39. 165 Si ex vocabulo, ut Carbo: Sei consul est qui consuluit patriae, quid aliud fecit Opimius?

[755] Cf. Cic. _pro Sest_. 67. 140 (Opimium) flagrantem invidia propter interitum C. Gracchi semper ipse populus Roma.n.u.s periculo liberavit.

[756] Cic. _Brut_. 34. 128 L. Bestia ... P. Popillium vi C. Gracchi expulsum sua rogatione rest.i.tuit. Cf. _post Red. in Sen_. 15. 38; _post Red. ad Quir_. 4.10.

[757] Cic. _in Cat_. iv. 6, 13; _Phil_. viii. 4. 14.

[758] Val. Max. v. 3. 2. The colouring of the story is doubted by Ihne (_Rom. Gesch_. v. p. 111). He thinks that perhaps Lentulus went to Sicily to restore his shattered health.

[759] Cic. _de Orat_. ii. 25. 106; 39. 165; 40. 170.

[760] Ibid. ii. 39. 165.

[761] Cic. _Brut_. 43. 159 Cra.s.sus ... accusavit C. Carbonem, eloquentissimum hominem, admodum adulescens. Cf. _de Orat_. i. 10. 39.

[762] Valerius Maximus (vi. 5. 6) tells the story that a slave of Carbo's brought Cra.s.sus a letter-case (_scrinium_) full of compromising papers. Cra.s.sus sent back the case still sealed and the slave in chains to Carbo.

[763] Mommsen, _Hist. of Rome_ bk. iv. c. 4.

[764] Cic. _in Verr_. iii. i. 3 Itaque hoc, judices, ex ... L. Cra.s.so saepe auditum est, c.u.m se nullius rei tam paenitere diceret quam quod C. Carbonem unquam in judicium vocavisset.

[765] Cic. _ad Fam_. ix. 21. 3 (C. Carbo) accusante L. Cra.s.so cantharidas sumpsisse dicitur. Valerius Maximus (iii. 7. 6) implies that Carbo was sent into exile. But the two stories are not necessarily inconsistent.

[766] Appian (_Bell. Civ_. i. 35) says that the younger Livius Drusus (91 B.C.) [Greek: _ton daemon ... hypaegeto apoikiais pollais es te taen Italian kai Sikelian epsaephismenais men ek pollou, gegonuiais de oupo_].

These colonies could only have been those proposed by his father.

[767] Mommsen in C.I.L. 1 pp. 75 ff. Cf. p. 227. We have no record of the tenure by which Romans held their lands in such settlements as Palma and Pollentia (p. 189). They too may have been ill.u.s.trations of what was known later as the _jus Italic.u.m_.

[768] We know that the corn law of C. Gracchus was repealed or modified by a _lex Octavia_. Cic. _Brut_. 62. 222 (M. Octavius) tantum auctoritate dicendoque valuit, ut legem Semp.r.o.niam frumentariam populi frequentis suffragiis abrogaverit. Cf. _de Off_. ii. 21. 72. But the date of this alteration is unknown and it may not have been immediate.

If it was a consequence of Gracchus's fall, as is thought by Peter (_Gesch. Roms_. ii. p. 41), the distributions may have been restored _circa_ 119 B.C. (see p. 287). We shall see that in the tribunate of Marius during this year some proposal about corn was before the people (Plut. _Mar_. 4).

[769] App. _Bell. Civ_. i. 27 [Greek: _nomos te ou poly hysteron ekyrhothae, taen gaen, hyper haes dietheronto, exeinai pipraskein tois echousin_.]

[770] App. l.c. [Greek: _kai euthus oi plousioi para ton penaeton eonounto, hae taisde tais prophasesin ebiazonto_.]

[771] The law permitting alienation may have been in 121 B.C. The year 119 or 118 B.C. ([Greek: _pentekaideka maliosta etesin apo taes Grakchou nomothesias_]) is given by Appian (l.c.) for one of the two subsequent laws which he speaks of. It is probably the date of the first of these, the one which we are now considering.

[772] App. l.c. [Greek: _Sporios Thorios daemarchon esaegaesato nomon, taen men gaen maeketi sianemein, all' einai ton echonton, kai phorous hyper autaes to daemo katat.i.thesthai, kai tade ta chrhaemata ch.o.r.ein es dianomas_.]

[773] If Gracchus's corn law was abolished or modified immediately after his fall, the corn largesses may now have been restored or extended.

Cf. p. 306.

[774] Some such guarantee may be inferred from a pa.s.sage in the _lex Agraria_ (l. 29) Item Latino peregrinoque, quibus M. Livio L. Calpurnio [cos. in eis agris id facere ... ex lege plebeive sc(ito) exve foedere licuit.]