Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1827) Vol 1.djvu/103

CHAP. III
_____attracted the vain ambition of the Romans; and the emperors themselves, though invested for life with the powers of the consulship, frequently aspired to the title of that annual dignity, which they condescended to share with the most illustrious of their fellow-citizens^[1]. In the election of these magistrates, the people, during the reign of Augustus, were permitted to expose all the inconveniencies of a wild democracy. That artful prince, instead of discovering the least symptom of impatience, humbly solicited their suffrages for himself or his friends, and scrupulously practised all the duties of an ordinary candidate ^[2]. But we may venture to ascribe to his counsels, the first measure of the succeeding reign, by which the elections were transferred to the senate^[3]. The assemblies of the people were for ever abolished, and the emperors were delivered from a dangerous multitude, who, without restoring liberty, might have disturbed, and perhaps endangered, the established government. The senate.By declaring themselves the protectors of the people, Marius and Caesar had subverted the constitution of their country. But as soon as the senate had been humbled and disarmed, such an assembly, consisting of five or six hundred persons, was found a much more tractable and useful instrument of dominion. It was on the dignity of the senate, that Augustus and his successors founded their new empire ; and they affected, on every occasion, to adopt the language and principles of patricians. In the administration of their own powers, they frequently consulted the great national council, and seemed to refer to its decision the most important concerns of peace and war. Rome, Italy,

1. The tyrants themselves were ambitious of the consulship. The virtuous princes were moderate in the pursuit, and exact in the discharge of it. Trajan revived the ancient oath, and swore before the consul's tribunal that he would observe the laws. Plin. Panegyric, c. 64.
2. Quoties magistratuum comitiis interesset, tribus cum candidatis suis circuibat ; supplicabatque more sdenni. Ferebat et ipse sutfragium in tribubus, ut unus e populo. Suetonius in August, c. 56.
3. * Turn primum comilia e carapo ad patres translata sunt. Tacit. Annal. i. 15. The word primum seems to allude to some faint and unsuccessful efforts which were made towards restoring them to the people.