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

CONSUL. CONSUL. 353
far as we know, entered upon their office on the Henceforth the ides of December remained for a
ides of September. (Dionys. v. 1; Liv. vii. 3.) long time the dies solennis. (Liv. iv. 37, v. 9, 11.)
The first change seems to have been brought about In B. c. 401, the military tribunes, in consequence
by the secession of the plebs, B. c. 493, when the of the defeat at Veii, abdicated, and their successors
consuls entered on the kalends of September. entered upon their office on the kalends of October.
(Dionys. vi. 49.) In B. c. 479, the day was thrown In B. C. 391, the consuls entered upon their office
a whole month backward; for of the consuls of the on the kalends of Quintilis. (Liv. v. 32; comp. 31,
preceding year one had fallen in battle, and the vii. 25, viii. 20.) From this time no further change
other abdicated two months before the end of his is mentioned, though several events are recorded
year; hence the new consuls entered on the which must have been accompanied by an alterkalends of Sextilis. (Dionys. ix. 13; Liv. iii. 6.) ation of the dies solennis, until in u. c. 217, we
This day remained until B. C. 451, when the con- learn that the consuls entered upon their office
suls abdicated to make room for the decemvirs, on the ides of March, which custom remained mnwho entered upon their office on the ides of May. altered for many years (Liv. xxii. 1, xxiii. 30,
The same day remained for the two following years xxvi. 1, 26, xliv. 19), until in B. C. 154 it was de(Dionys. x. 56; Zonar. vii. 18; Fast. Cap.); but creed that in future the magistrates should enter
when the decemvirate was abolished, another day upon their office on the 1st of January, a regulation
must have become the dies solennis, but which it which began to be observed the year after, and
was is unknown, until in B. C. 443, we find that it remained in force down to the end of the republic.
was the ides of December. (Dionys. xi. 63.) This (Liv. Epit. 47; Fast. Praenest.) The changes in
change had been occasioned by the tribuni militares the time at which the consuls entered upon their
who had been elected the year before, and had been office at different times, may therefore be given in
compelled to abdicate. (Liv. iv. 7; Dionys. xi. 62.) the following tabular view:From B. C. 509 to 493 on the Ides of September.
- - 493 - 479 - Kalends of September.
- 479 -451 - Kalends of Sextilis.
- -451-449 - Ides of May.
- 449 - 443 or 400 Ides of December.
-- 400 - probably till 397, Kalends of October.
- 397 - 329 (perhaps 327), Kalends of Quintilia
--- 327 - 223 unknown.
- 223 153 Ides of March.
- - 153- till the end, the Kalends of January.
The day on which the consuls entered on their place in the consulship (in zunum locum petebant,
office determined the day of the election, though Liv. xxxv. 10). But as in the course of time the
there was no fixed rule, and' in. the earliest times patricians were thrown into the shade by the rising
the elections probably took place very shortly be. power of the noi'les, it came to pass that both confore the close of the official year, and the same was suls were plebeians. In B. c. 215, the augurs inoccasionally the case during the latter period of the deed opposed the election of two plebeians (Liv.
republic. (Liv. xxxviii. 42, xlii. 28, xliii. 11.) xxiii. 31); but not long after, in B.C. 172, the fact
But when the first of January was fixed upon as of both consuls being plebeians actually occurred,
the day for entering upon the office, the consular and after this it was often repeated, the ancient
comitia were usually held in July or even earlier, distinction between, patricians and plebeians falling
at least before the Kalends of Sextilis. (Cic. ad completely into oblivion.
Att. i. 16; ad Fa(me. viii. 4.) But even during that The consulship was throughout the republic
period the day of election depended in a great regarded as the highest office and the greatest
measure upon the discretion of the senate and con- honour that could be conferred upon a man (Cic.
suls, who often delayed it. (Cic. ad Att. ii. 20, iv. p. Plane. 25; Paul. Diac. p. 136; Dionys. iv. 76),
16, p. Leg. Man. 1.) for the dictatorship, though it had a majis izmperizm,
Down to: the year B. e. 366i. the consulship was was not a regular magistracy; and the censorship,
accessible to none. but patricians0 but in that year though conferred only upon consulars, was yet far
L. Sextius was the' first plebeian consul in conse- inferior to the consulship in power and influence.
quence of the law of C. Licinius. (Liv. vi. 42,; It was not till the end of the republic, and especially
vii. 1.) The patricians howeveri notwithstanding in the time of J. Caesar, that the consulship lost its
the law, repeatedly contrived to, keep' the plebeians, former dignity; for in order to honour his friends,
out (Liv. vii. 17, 18, 19, 22, 24, 28), until in he calsed them to be elected, sometimes for a few
B. c. 342 the insurrection of the army of Capua months andsometimes evenfor afew hours. (Suet-on.
was followed, among other important consequences, Caes. 76, 80, Nero, 15; Dion Cass. xliii. 46
by the firm establishment of the plebeian consul- Macrob. Sat. ii. 3.)
ship; and it is even said that at that time a ple- The power of the consuls wavs at first equal to
biscitum was passed, enacting that both consuls' thdt of the kings into whose place they stepped, with
might be plebeians. (Liv. vii. 42.) Attempts on the exception of the priestly power of the rex- sacrothe part of the patricians to exclude the plebeians,. rum, which was detached from it. Even after the
occur as late as the year B. C. 297 (Liv. x. 15; Valerian laws and the institution of the tribuneship,
Cic. BriZt. 14) but they did not succeed, and it the consuls who alone were invested with the
remained a principle of the Roman constitution executives retained the most extensive powers in all
that both consuls should not be patricians. (Liv. departments of the government. But in the gradual
xxvii. 34, xxxix. 42.) The candidates usually were development of the'constitution, some important
divided into two sets, the one desirous to obtain functions were detached from the consulship and
the patrician, and the other to obtain the plebeian assigned to new officers. This was the case first
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