42.
At Rome, in this year for the first time, the tresviri epulones1 were elected —Gaius Licinius Lucullus, tribune of the people, who had proposed the law for their election, Publius Manlius, and Publius Porcius Laeca. These triumvirs, like the pontiffs, were given the right to wear the toga praetexta.2
[2]
But a bitter struggle broke out that year between the whole body of priests and the city quaestors,3 Quintus Fabius Labeo and Lucius Aurelius.
[3]
Money was needed because it had been decided to pay to the private lenders the last instalment of the money contributed for the war.4
[4]
The quaestors demanded it of the augurs and pontiffs because they had not paid the taxes during the war. The priests appealed in vain to the tribunes of the people, and the money was collected for the whole period in which it had not been paid.5
[5]
In the same year two pontiffs died and new ones were appointed in their place, the consul Marcus Marcellus to replace Gaius Sempronius Tuditanus, who had fallen while serving as praetor in Spain, and Lucius [p. 391]Valerius Flaccus in place of Marcus Cornelius Cethegus.
[6]
-6 Quintus Fabius Maximus the augur also died while still a young man, before he had held any public office, and this year no augur was chosen in his stead.
[7]
Marcus Marcellus the consul presided over the consular elections, and Lucius Valerius Flaccus and Marcus Porcius Cato were announced as successful. Then the praetors were chosen, Gnaeus Manlius Volso, Appius Claudius Nero, Publius Porcius Laeca, Gaius Fabricius Luscinus, Gaius Atinius Labeo, and Publius Manlius.
[8]
In that year the curule aediles, Marcus Fulvius Nobilior and Gaius Flaminius, distributed to the people one million measures of grain at two asses per measure. The Sicilians had brought this to Rome as a mark of respect to Gaius Flaminius himself and to his father; Flaminius had shared the credit for it with his colleague. The Roman Games were celebrated splendidly and were thrice repeated entire.
[9]
The plebeian aediles, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Gaius Scribonius Curio, brought many grazers7 to trial before the people; three of them were convicted, and out of the money paid by them as fines they built a temple to Faunus on the Island.8
[10]
The Plebeian Games were repeated for two days and a banquet held
[11]
on the occasion of the games.
1 A college of three (later seven) priests, entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the feasts of the gods (see note on XXXI. viii. 2). Election of members now replaces the older method of co-optation, under which each college filled vacancies in its own ranks.
2 The toga worn by the ordinary citizen was of white or natural-coloured wool. This purple-bordered toga was reserved to boys who had not reached manhood (at which time they put on the ordinary toga) and to civil and religious dignitaries.
3 These were minor magistrates responsible for the care of public funds.
4 See XXXI. xiii. 2-9 and the note.
5 Exemption from the payment of taxes seems not to have been a prerogative of the priesthoods. Perhaps in the confusion of the war period, they had for a time evaded payment, and had continued to do so after the war closed. At this time collection in full of all back-taxes was made: this seems to be the implication of the words omnium annorum.
6 B.C. 196
7 They had probably rented public pasture lands but had trespassed on land which they had not leased.
8 The island in the Tiber was in general sacred to Aesculapius (cf. X. xlvii. 7 for the introduction of this divinity), but other temples were erected there (XXXIV. liii. 7).
Livy. Books XXXI-XXXIV with an English Translation. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1935: no copyright notice.
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