108

THE DECLINE AND FALL

chap, of an ordinary candidate/ But we may veu-

_J_ture to ascribe to his councils, the first measure

of the succeeding reign, by which the electionswere transferred to the senate . 3 The assembliesof the people were for ever abolished, and theemperors were delivered from a dangerous mul-titude, who, without restoring liberty, mighthave disturbed, and perhaps endangered, theestablished government.

The senate By declaring themselves the protectors of thepeople, Marius and Caesar had subverted theconstitution of their country. But as soon asthe senate had been humbled and disarmed, suchan assembly, consisting of five or six hundredpersons, was found a much more tractable anduseful instrument of dominion. It was on thedignity of the senate, that Augustus and hissuccessors founded their new empire; and theyaffected, on every occasion, to adopt the lan-guage and principles of patricians. In the ad-ministration of their own powers, they frequent-ly consulted the great national council, andseemed to refer to its decision the most important concerns of peace and war. Rome, Italy ,and the internal provinces, were subject to theimmediate jurisdiction of the senate. With re-

r Qiioties Magistratuum Comitiis interesset, tribus cum candi.dntis siiis circuibat: supplicabatque more solemn. Ferebat ct ipsesuffragium in tribubus, ut mills c populo. Suetonius in August,c. 50.

s Turn piiinum Comitia e Campo ad Patres translata sunt. Tacit.Anual. i, 15. The word primum seems to allude to some faint andunsuccessful efforts, which were made towards restoring them to thepeople.