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44. In that year for the first time a motion was proposed by Lucius Villius, tribune of the people, fixing the ages at which each magistracy might be [p. 139]sought and held.1 From this fact a cognomen was given2 to his family, so that its members were called Annales. [2] After many years3 four praetors were chosen under the Baebian law, which provided that four should be chosen in alternate years.4 The praetors so elected were Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio, Gaius Valerius Laevinus and Quintus and Publius Mucius Scaevola, the sons of Quintus.

[3] To Quintus Fulvius and Lucius Manlius the consuls5 the same province which their predecessors had held was decreed with the same numbers of troops, infantry and cavalry, citizens and allies. [4] In the two Spains the imperium of Tiberius Sempronius and Lucius Postumius was prolonged, and they were to keep the same armies which they had; [5] and as replacements the consuls were ordered to enroll three thousand Roman infantry, three hundred cavalry, five thousand infantry and four hundred cavalry of the allies of the Latin confederacy. [6] Publius Mucius Scaevola received by lot the civil jurisdiction and also the duty of enquiring into cases of poisoning in the city and within a distance of ten miles from the city, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio that between citizens and aliens, Quintus Mucius Scaevola Sicily, Gaius Valerius Laevinus Sardinia.

[7] Quintus Fulvius the consul said that before he brought up any matter of public business he wished to free himself and the state of an obligation to the [p. 141]gods by fulfilling his vows. [8] He had vowed, he said, on6 the day when he had last fought with the Celtiberians, to give games to Jupiter Optimus Maximus and a temple to Fortuna Equestris: [9] for this purpose money had been collected for him by the Spaniards.7 It was decreed that the games should be held and that two commissioners should be chosen to contract for the temple. [10] As to the cost, the limit was set that a greater sum might not be spent for the games than the amount that had been decreed to Fulvius Nobilior8 when he gave his games after the Aetolian war, and it was voted too that he should not invite, compel or accept [11??] contributions for these or do anything contrary to that decree of the senate which had been passed regarding games in the consulship of Lucius Aemilius and Gnaeus Baebius.9 [12] The senate had passed this decree because of the lavish expenditures made on games by Tiberius Sempronius the aedile, which had been a burden, not only on Italy and the allies of the Latin confederacy, but on outside provinces as well.10

1 Livy's account of this important legislation is disappointingly brief. It seems that custom had in the past established a sequence of offices and had regulated the intervals which should separate them. Yet such important questions as re-elections and tenure of two offices simultaneously had required legislative enactment in the past. Such principles as that the people should have the privilege of electing its favourites regardless of technicalities (XXXII. vii. 8-11; XXXIX. xxxix and the notes) had caused great confusion. The lex Villia established minimum ages for the several magistracies, thus fixing a definite sequence of offices (which developed gradually into the cursus honorum), and provided that two-year intervals should separate successive offices.

2 B.C. 180

3 In XXXII. xxvii. 6 Livy reports the election of six praetors for 197 B.C., and that this was the first instance of the election of six.

4 The date and actual content of the Baebian law are unknown. It was not strictly observed and may have been soon repealed.

5 B.C. 179

6 B.C. 179

7 The contribution has not been mentioned; for the vow cf. xl. 10 above. The temple was in the neighbourhood of the circus Flaminius (Vitruvius III. iii. 2; Obsequens 16 (75)).

8 Cf. XXXIX. v. 7-10 and the notes.

9 The decree has not been mentioned.

10 Livy has not referred to these games before.

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load focus Notes (W. Weissenborn, H. J. Müller, 1911)
load focus Notes (W. Weissenborn, 1875)
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load focus Summary (English, Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. and Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D., 1938)
load focus Summary (Latin, Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. and Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D., 1938)
load focus Latin (W. Weissenborn, 1875)
load focus Latin (Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. and Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D., 1938)
load focus English (William A. McDevitte, Sen. Class. Mod. Ex. Schol. A.B.T.C.D., 1850)
load focus English (Rev. Canon Roberts, 1912)
load focus Latin (W. Weissenborn, H. J. Müller, 1911)
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  • Commentary references to this page (18):
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 31-32, commentary, 31.50
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 31-32, commentary, 32.7
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 31-32, commentary, 32.7
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 33-34, commentary, 34.1
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 35-38, commentary, 35.20
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 35-38, commentary, 35.20
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 39-40, commentary, 39.23
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 39-40, commentary, 39.39
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 39-40, commentary, 39.5
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 39-40, commentary, 40.18
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 41.1
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 41.17
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 42.28
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 43-44, commentary, 43.11
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 43-44, commentary, 43.11
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 43-44, commentary, 43.11
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 43-44, commentary, 43.12
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, book 45, commentary, 45.16
  • Cross-references to this page (26):
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