Dios Rome, Vol. 4 | Page 9

changing the constitution altogether. Do you, however, yourself choose
all who are to hold them and not put any of these offices longer in
charge of the rabble or the populace,--for they will surely quarrel,--nor
in charge of the senate, for its members will contend for the prize.
Moreover, do not keep up the ancient powers of these positions, for
fear history may repeat itself, but preserve the honor attached while
abating the influence to such an extent as will enable you to deprive
each place of none of its esteem but to forestall any desire of
insubordination. This can be done if you require the incumbents to stay
in town, and do not permit any of them to handle arms either during
their period of office or immediately afterward, but only after the lapse
of some time, as much as you think sufficient in each instance. In this
way none of them will rebel, because they become to an extent by their
title masters of armies, and their irritation will be assuaged by their
faring as private citizens for a time. Let these magistrates conduct such
of the festivals as would naturally belong to their office, and let them
all individually try cases save those of homicide, during their tenure of
office in Rome. Courts should also be made up of the senators and
knights, but the final appeal should be to the aforesaid officials.
[-21-] "Let a præfectus urbi be appointed from the ranks of the
prominent men and from such as have previously passed through the
necessary offices. His duties should not be to govern when the consuls
are somewhere out of town, but to exercise at all times a general
supervision of the City's interests and to decide the cases referred to
him by all the other magistrates I mentioned, both those demanding
final decision and such as may be appealed, together with any that
involve the death penalty; and he must have authority in all of them
that concern men both in the City (except such as I shall name) and
those dwelling outside to the distance of seven hundred and fifty stades.
"Still another magistrate ought to be chosen, himself also from a similar
class, to investigate and watch the matters of family, property, and
morals of senators and knights, alike of men and of the children and
wives belonging to them[6]. He should also set right such behavior as

properly entails no punishment, yet if neglected becomes the cause of
many great evils. The more important details he must report to you.
This duty ought to be assigned to some senator, and to the most
distinguished one after the præfectus urbi, rather than to one of the
knights. He would naturally receive his name from your authority as
censor, (for you must certainly be the dictator of the census), so that he
might be called sub-censor[7].--Let these two hold office for life,
unless either of them deteriorates in any way or becomes sick or
superannuated. By reason of the permanence of their positions they
would do nothing dangerous, for one would be entirely unarmed and
the other would have but a few soldiers and be acting for the most part
under your eyes. By reason of their rank they would shrink from
coming into collision with any one and would be afraid to do any act of
violence, for they would foresee their retirement to ordinary citizenship
and the supremacy of others in their stead. Let them also draw a certain
salary, to compensate them for the time consumed and to increase their
reputation. This is the opinion I have to give you in regard to these
officials.
"Let those who have been prætors hold some office among the subject
nations. Before they have been prætors I do not think they should have
this privilege. Let those who have not yet been prætors serve for one or
two terms as lieutenants to such persons as you may have designated.
Then, under these conditions, let them be consuls if they continue to
govern rightly, and after that let them take the greater positions of
command. [-22-] The following is the way I advise you to arrange it.
Divide up all of Italy which is over seven hundred and fifty stades from
the city and all the rest of the territory which owns our sway, both on
the continents and in the islands,--divide it up everywhere according to
races and nations; and pursue the same course with as many cities as
are important enough to be ruled by one man with full powers. Then
establish soldiers and a governor in each one and send out one of the
ex-consuls to take charge of all, and two of the ex-prætors. One of the
latter, fresh from the