# CHAPTER XXIV —_That prolonged Commands brought Rome to Servitude_.

CHAPTER XXIV.—_That prolonged Commands brought Rome to Servitude_.


If we well examine the course of Roman history, we shall find two
causes leading to the break-up of that republic: one, the dissensions
which arose in connection with the agrarian laws; the other, the
prolongation of commands. For had these matters been rightly understood
from the first, and due remedies applied, the freedom of Rome had been
far more lasting, and, possibly, less disturbed. And although, as
touching the prolongation of commands, we never find any tumult
breaking out in Rome on that account, we do in fact discern how much
harm was done to the city by the ascendency which certain of its
citizens thereby gained. This mischief indeed would not have arisen, if
other citizens whose period of office was extended had been as good and
wise as Lucius Quintius, whose virtue affords a notable example. For
terms of accord having been settled between the senate and commons of
Rome, the latter, thinking their tribunes well able to withstand the
ambition of the nobles, prolonged their authority for a year.
Whereupon, the senate, not to be outdone by the commons, proposed, out
of rivalry, to extend the consulship of Quintius. He, however, refused
absolutely to lend himself to their designs, and insisted on their
appointing new consuls, telling them that they should seek to discredit
evil examples, not add to them by setting worse. Had this prudence and
virtue of his been shared by all the citizens of Rome, the practice of
prolonging the terms of civil offices would not have been suffered to
establish itself, nor have led to the kindred practice of extending the
term of military commands, which in progress of time effected the ruin
of their republic.

The first military commander whose term was extended, was Publius
Philo; for when his consulship was about to expire, he being then
engaged in the siege of Palæopolis, the senate, seeing he had the
victory in his hands, would not displace him by a successor, but
appointed him _Proconsul_, which office he was the first to hold. Now,
although in thus acting the senate did what they thought best for the
public good, nevertheless it was this act of theirs that in time
brought Rome to slavery. For the further the Romans carried their arms,
the more necessary it seemed to them to grant similar extensions of
command, and the oftener they, in fact, did so. This gave rise to two
disadvantages: first that a smaller number of men were trained to
command; second, that by the long continuance of his command a captain
gained so much influence and ascendency over his soldiers that in time
they came to hold the senate of no account, and looked only to him.
This it was, that enabled Sylla and Marius to find adherents ready to
follow them even to the public detriment, and enabled Cæsar to
overthrow the liberties of his country; whereas, had the Romans never
prolonged the period of authority, whether civil or military, though
they might have taken longer to build up their empire, they certainly
had been later in incurring servitude.