# CHAPTER 24 — The Prolongation of Military Commands Enslaved Rome

If the conduct of the Roman republic is considered carefully, it will be evident that two things were the cause of that republic’s dissolution: one was the struggles that arose over the agrarian laws; the other was the prolongation of military commands; if these two things had been well understood from the beginning, and the proper remedies for them taken, a free way of life would have lasted longer and, perhaps, have been more peaceful. Although the prolongation of military command apparently never caused any disturbances in Rome, nevertheless, it is, in fact, evident how much harm it did to the city when the citizens seized that authority in making such decisions. If the other citizens for whom this appointment was extended had been wise and good, as was Lucius Quinctius, * the city would not have experienced this difficulty. His goodness provides an example worthy of note. After an agreement between the plebeians and the senate had been reached, and the plebeians had extended the command of the tribunes, judging them strong enough to resist the ambition of the nobles, the senate, in competition with the plebeians and in order not to appear weaker than they, decided to prolong the consulate of Lucius Quinctius. But he completely refused to accept this decision, stating that bad examples should be eliminated and not multiplied with even worse examples, and he insisted that new consuls be appointed. His goodness and prudence, had they been possessed by all Roman citizens, would not have allowed the introduction of that practice of prolonging magistracies, and from these prolongations the Romans would not have come to those of military commands: with the passage of time, this practice ruined that republic. The first for whom a military command was extended was Publilius Philo, * who was in the field at the city of Palaeopo-lis and when he came to the end of his consulate, the senate, feeling that he had victory in his grasp, did not send his successor but made him proconsul; thus, he was the first proconsul. Although this action was carried out by the senate in the public interest, in time it enslaved Rome, because the more the Romans went abroad with their armies, the more it seemed to them that such an extension was necessary and the more they made use of it. This produced two disadvantages: first, that fewer men were experienced in military command, and because of this, reputation became restricted to a few; second, that when a citizen was commander of an army for a lengthy period of time, he gained its support and made it his supporter, because that army in time forgot the senate and recognized him as its leader. For this reason, Sulla and Marius were able to find soldiers who, contrary to the public good, would follow them, and for this reason, Caesar was able to seize his native city. If the Romans had never prolonged the magistracies and military commands, they would not have so quickly come into such great power, and if their conquests had come later, they would also have fallen more slowly into servitude.