§ 1.0.4 After his death the troubles broke out afresh and continued until Gaius Caesar, who had held the command in Gaul by election for some years, was ordered by the Senate to lay down his command. Thus there was a cessation of factions for a short time while Sulla lived, and a compensation for the evils which Sulla had wrought. Perhaps they were ashamed to call for an accounting, or entertained other good feeling toward him, or a belief that his despotism had been beneficial to the state. And so, for a considerable period, he walked to the forum as a private citizen in the sight of all and returned home unmolested, so great was the awe of his government still remaining in the minds of the onlookers, or their amazement at his laying it down. Nevertheless he became satiated with power and was the first man, so far as I know, holding supreme power, who had the courage to lay it down voluntarily and to declare that he would render an account of his stewardship to any who were dissatisfied with it. Sulla, although nominally elected, became dictator for life by force and compulsion. Such officials were formerly called dictators - an office created in the most perilous emergencies for six months only, and long since fallen into disuse. § 1.0.3 No unseemly deed was wanting until, about fifty years after the death of Gracchus, Cornelius Sulla, one of these chiefs of factions, doctoring one evil with another, made himself the absolute master of the state for an indefinite period. Men were proscribed, others banished, property was confiscated, and some were even subjected to excruciating tortures. Ruthless and indiscriminate massacres of citizens were perpetrated. Whichever of them first got possession of the city, the others made war nominally against their adversaries, but actually against their country. There were chiefs of factions in different places aspiring to supreme power, some of them refusing to disband the troops intrusted to them by the people, others levying forces against each other on their own account, without public authority. As the evil gained in magnitude open insurrections against the government and large warlike expeditions against the country were undertaken by exiles, or criminals, or persons contending against each other for some office or military command. Unseemly violence prevailed almost constantly, together with shameful contempt for law and justice. Repeatedly the parties came into open conflict, often carrying daggers and occasionally in the temples, or the assemblies, or the forum, some one serving as tribune, or praetor, or consul, or a candidate for those offices, or some person otherwise distinguished, would be slain. Sedition did not end with this abominable deed. The sword was never carried into the assembly, and there was no civil butchery until Tiberius Gracchus, while serving as tribune and bringing forward new laws, was the first to fall a victim to internal commotion and many others besides, who were assembled with him at the Capitol, were slain around the temple. § 1.0.2 This is the only case of armed strife that can be found in the ancient seditions, and this was caused by an exile. In the midst of contests of this kind Marcius Coriolanus, having been banished contrary to justice, took refuge with the Volsci and levied war against his country. Whence arose still greater bitterness, and the magistrates were arrayed in stronger animosity to each other after this event, and the Senate and plebeians took sides with them, each believing that it would prevail over the other by augmenting the power of its own magistrates. Even then no violence was done, but they created a magistrate for their protection and called him the tribune of the plebs, to serve especially as a check upon the consuls, who were chosen by the Senate, so that the political power should not be exclusively in their hands. Once when the plebeians were going to a war they fell into such a controversy, but they did not use the weapons in their hands, but withdrew to the hill, which from this time on was called the Sacred Mount. Internal discord did not bring them to blows, however these were dissensions merely and contests within the law, which they composed by making mutual concessions, and with much respect for each other. § 1.0.1 The plebeians and Senate of Rome were often at strife with each other concerning the enactment of laws, the cancelling of debts, the division of lands, or the election of magistrates.
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