In the course of the history the Triumphs granted to victorious generals have been frequently mentioned, and therefore a brief description of them may appropriately close this sketch of the Roman army. A Triumph was a solemn procession, in which a victorious general entered the city in a chariot drawn by four horses. He was preceded by the captives and spoils taken in war, was followed by his troops, and, after passing in state along the Via Sacra, ascended the Capitol to offer sacrifice in the Temple of Jupiter. From the beginning of the Republic down to the extinction of liberty a Triumph was recognized as the summit of military glory, and was the cherished object of ambition to every Roman general. After any decisive battle had been won, or a province subdued by a series of successful operations, the general forwarded to the Senate a laurel-wreathed dispatch containing an account of his exploits. If the intelligence proved satisfactory the Senate decreed a public thanksgiving.[52] After the war was concluded, the general, with his army, repaired to Rome, or ordered his army to meet him there on a given day, but did not enter the city. A meeting of the Senate was held without the walls, that he might have an opportunity of urging his pretensions in person, and these were then scrutinized and discussed with the most jealous care. If the Senate gave their consent, they at the same time voted a sum of money toward defraying the necessary expenses, and one of the Tribunes applied for a plebiscitum to permit the Imperator to retain his imperium on the day when he entered the city. This last form could not be dispensed with, because the imperium conferred by the Comitia did not include the city itself; and accordingly the military power of the general ceased as soon as he re-entered the gates, unless the general law had been previously suspended by a special enactment. [Illustration: A Roman general addressing the soldiers. (From a Coin.)] [Footnote 38: Two Plebeian Consuls were first appointed in B.C. 172, and two Plebeian Censors in B.C. 131.] [Footnote 39: See p. 31. (Eighth paragraph of Chapter IV.--Transcriber)] [Footnote 40: Hence their name, from _AEdes_, a temple.] [Footnote 41: This was done by the well-known formula "Videant," or "Dent operam Consules, ne quid res publica detriment capiat."] [Footnote 42: These farmers of the public revenue were called _Publicani_.] [Footnote 43: It is not easy to define with accuracy the respective duties of the Censors and AEdiles in relation to the public buildings; but it may be stated in general that the superintendence of the AEdiles was more in the way of police, while that of the Censors had reference to all financial matters.] [Footnote 44: A _Senatus consultum_ was so called because the Consul who brought a matter before the Senate was said _Senatum consulere_.] [Footnote 45: See p. 19.(Ninth paragraph of Chapter III.--Transcriber)]