Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

TRIBUNUS. TRIBUNUS. 1151
except during the Feriae Latinae, when the whole action which a magistrate might undertake during
people was assembled on the Alban Mount. (Ma- the time of his office, and this even without giving
crob. Sat. i. 3,) any reason for it. (Appian, de Bell. Civ. i. 23.)
In the year 456 B. c. the tribunes, in opposition Thus we find a tribune preventing a consul conto the consuls, assumed the right to convoke the voking the senate (Polyb. vi. 1 6), preventing the
senate, in order to lay before it a rogation and d;s- proposal of new laws or elections in the comitias
cuss the same (Dionys. x. 31, 32); for until that (Liv. vi. 35, vii. 17, x.- 9, xxvii. 6); and they
time the consuls alone had had the right of laying interceded against the official functions of the
plebiscite before the senate forapprobation. Some censors (Dion Cass. xxxvii. 9.; Liv. xliii. 16);
years after, 452 B. c., the tribune demanded of the and even against a commnand issued by the praetor.
consuls to request the senate to make a senatus- (Liv. xxxviii. 60; Gell. vii. 19.) In the same
consulturn for the appointment of persons to frame manner a tribune might place his veto upon an
a new legislation; and during the discussions on ordinance of the senate (Polyb. vi. 16; Dion Cass.
this subject the tribunes themselves were present xli. 2); and thus either compel the senate to subin the senate. (Dionys. x. 50, 52.) The written mit the subject in question to a fresh consideration,
legislation which the tribunes then wished can or to raise the session. (Caes. de Bell. Civ. i. 2;
only have related to their own order; but as such Appian, de Bell. Civ. i. 29.) In order to propose
a legislation would only have widened the breach a measure to the senate they might themsel ves conbetweenl the two orders, they afterwards gave way yoke a meeting (Gellius, xiv. 7), or w~hen it had
to the remonstrances of the patricians, and the new been convoked by a consul they might make their
legislation was to embrace both orders. (Liv. iii. proposal even in opposition to the consul. a right
31; Zonar. vii. 18.) From the second decemvi- which no other magistrates had in the presence of
rate the tribuneship was suspended, but was re- the consuls. The senate, on the other hand, had
stored after the legislation was completed, and now itself, in certain cases, recourse to the tribunes.
assumed a different character from the change that Thus, in 431. c. it requested the tribunes to.
had taken place in the tribes. [TRIBus (RoMAN.)] compel the consuls to appoint a dictator, in comThe tribunes now had the right to be present at pliance with a decree of the senate, and the trithe deliberations of the senate (Liv. iii. 69, iv. 1); bunes compelled the consuls, by threatening them
but they did notsit among the senators themselves, with imprisonment, to appoint A. Postunmius
but upon benches before the opened doors of the Tubertus dictator. (Liv. iv. 26.) From this time
senate-house. (Val. Max. ii. 2. ~ 7; F. HIofmann, forward we meet with several instances in which
Der Rb'l. Senat, p. 109, &c.) The iiviolability the tribunes compelled the consuls to comply with
of the tribunes, which had before only rested upon the decrees of the senate, si non essent i auctosritate
a contract between the two estates, was now sane- senatus, and to execute its commands. (Liv. v. 9,
tioned and confirmed by a law of MI. Horatius. xxviii. 45.) In their relation to the senate a
(Liv. iii. 55.) As the tribes now also included change was introduced by the Plebisoitumo Atinium,
the patricians and their clients, the tribulles might which ordained that a tribune, by virtue of his
naturally be asked to interpose on behalf of any office, should be a senator. (Gellius, xiv, 8; Zonar.
citizen, whether patrician or plebeian. Hence the vii. 15.) When this plebiscitum was made is unpatrician ex-decemvir, Appius Claudius, implored certain; but we know that in 170 B. c. it was not
the protection of the trilbnes. (Liv. iii. 56; yet in operation; (Liv. xlv. 1.5.) It probably
comp, also viii. 33, 34; Niebuhr, ii. p. 374.) originated with C. Atinius, who was tribune in'Alout this time the tribunes also acquired the B. c. 132. (Liv. Epit. 59; Plin. H. N. vii. 45.)
right to take the auspices in the assemblies of the But as the quaestorship, at least in later times,
tribes. (Zonaras, vii. 19.) They also assumed was the office which persons held previously to
again the right which they had exercised before the tribunleship, and as the quaestorship itself conthe time of the decenviralte, to bring patricians ferred upon a person the right of being presenlt and
who had violated the rights of the plebeians before expressing his opinion in the senate, the law of
the cosuitia of the tribes, as is clear from several Atinius was in most cases superfluous.
instances. (Liv. iii. 56, &c., iv. 44, v. 11, &c.) In their relation to other magistrates we may
Respecting the authority which a plebiscitum pro- observe, that the right of intercessio was not conposed to the tribes by a tribune received through fined to stopping a magistrate in his proceedings,
the lex Valeria, see PLEBISCITUM. While the but they might even. command their viatores
college thus gained outwardly new strength every [VIATOR] to seize a consul or a censor, to imday, a change took place in its internal organisa- prison him, or to throw him from the Tarpeian
tion, which to some extent paralyzed its powers. rock. (Liv. ii. 56, iv. 26, v. 9, ix. 34, Epit. 48,
Before the year 394 B. c. every thing had been 55, 59; Cic. de Leg. iii. 9, in Vatin. 9; Dion
decided in the college by a majority (Liv. ii. 43, Cass. xxxvii. 50.) It is mentioned by Labeo and
44; Dionys. ix. 1, 2, 41, x. 31); but about this Varro (ap. Gell. xiii. 12). that the tribunes, when
time, we do not know how, a change was intro- they brought an accusation against any one before
duced, which made the opposition (intereessio) of the people, had the right of prehensio, but not
one tribune sufficient to render a resolution of his the right of voeatio, that is, they might commanda
colleagues void. (Zonar. vii. 15.) This new re- person.to be dragged by their viatores before tho
gulation does not appear in operation till 3.9.4 comitia, but could not summon him. An attempt.to
and 393 B. c. (Liv. v. 25, 29); the old one was account for this singularity is made by Gellius
still applied in B. c. 421 and 415. (Liv. iv. 42, (1. c.). They might, as in earlier times, propose a
48; comp. Niebuhr, ii. p. 438.) From their right fine to be inflicted upon the person accused before
of appearing in the senate, and of tlaking part in the comitia, but in some cases they dropped this
its discussions, and from their being the repre- proposal and treated the case as a capital one.
seiltatives of the whole people, they gradually (Liv. viii. 33, xxv. 4, xxvi. 3.) The college of
obtained the right of intercession against any tribunes had also the power of making edicts, as