Greece -- Biography -- Early works to 1800; Rome -- Biography -- Early works to 1800
IX. Livius, having agreed to employ his tribunitian authority on the
side of the senate, framed measures which had neither any honourable nor
any useful object: he only had in view to outbid Caius in the popular
favour, just as it is in a comedy, by making himself busy and vying with
his rival. This showed most clearly that the senate were not displeased
with the measures of Caius, but only wished to destroy him or completely
humble him. When Caius proposed to send out ten colonies consisting of
citizens of the best character, the senate accused him of truckling to
the people; but they co-operated with Livius, who proposed twelve
colonies, each of which was to consist of three thousand needy citizens.
They set themselves in opposition to Caius when he proposed to
distribute land among the poor, subject to a yearly payment to the
treasury from each, on the ground that he was trying to gain the popular
favour; but they were satisfied when Livius proposed to relieve the
colonists even from this payment. Further, Caius gave them offence by
proposing to confer on the Latins the Roman suffrage; but when Livius
brought forward a measure which forbade any Latin to be beaten with rods
even while serving in the army, they supported it. And indeed Livius
himself, in his harangues to the people, always said that he only
proposed what was agreeable to the senate, who had a regard for the
many; which indeed was the only good that resulted from his measures.
For the people became more pacifically disposed towards the senate; and
though the most distinguished of them were formerly suspected and hated
by the people, Livius did away with and softened their recollection of
past grievances and their ill feeling, by giving out that it was in
accordance with the wish of the senate that he had entered upon his
popular career and framed measures to please the many.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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