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

336.CONSUL. CONSUL.
nominate a dictator. (Liv. iv. 26.) So long as the IIn the reign of Augustus, the consular power was
consuls had to hold the census, they, undoubtedly, a mere shadow of what it had been before, and
drew lots, which of them condeset lustriuns, and the consuls who were elected, did not retain their
even when they went out on a common expedition, office for a full year, but had usually to abdithey seem to have determined by lot in what di- cate after a few months. (Dion Cass. xlviii. 35,
rection each should exert his activity. (Liv. xli. xliii. 46; Lucan, v. 399.) These irregularities
18.) increased to such an extent, that in the reign of
The entering of:a consul upon his office was Commodus there were Ino less than twenty-five
connected with great solemnities: before daybreak consuls in one year. (Lamprid. Corsmod. 6; Dion
each consulted the auspices for himself, which in Cass. Ixxii. 12.) In the republican time, the year
the early times was, undoubtedly, a matter of had received its name from the consuls, and in all
great importance, though, at a later period, we public docmnents their names were entered to mark
know it to have been a mere formality. (Dionys. the year; but from the time that there were more
ii. 4, 6.) It must, however, be observed, that than two in one year, only those that entered upon
whatever the nature of the auspices were, the their office at the beginning of the year were reentering upon the office was never either rendered garded as consules ordinarii, and gave their names
impossible or delayed thereby, whence we must to the year, though the suffecti were likewise
suppose that the object merely was to obtain fa- entered in the Fasti. (Sueton. Dom1it. 2, Galb. 6,
vourable signs from the gods, and as it were to Vitell. 2; Senec. De Tea. iii. 31; Plin.Panegr. 38
place under the protection of the gods the office Lamprid. Al. Sev. 28.) The consules ordinarii
on which the magistrate entered. After the ranked higher than those who were elected afterauspices were consulted, the consul returned home, wards. The election from the time of Tiberius was
put on the toga praetexta (Liv. xxi. 63; Ov. ex in the hands of the senate, who, of course, elected
Poznt. iv. 4. 25, Fast. i. 81), and received the only those that were recommended by the emsalutatio of his friends and the senators. (Dion peeor; those who were elected were then announced
Cass. lviii 5; Ov. ex Pont. iv. 4. 27, &c.) Ac- (renuneciare) to the people assembled in what was
companied by these and a host of curious spectators, called conmitia. (Dion Cass. lviii. 20; Plin. Paneeg.
the consul clad in his official robes, proceeded to 77; Tac. Ann. iv. 68.) In the last centuries of
the temple of Jupiter in the Capitol, where a solemn the empire, it was customary to create honorary
sacrifice of white bulls was offered to the god. consuls (consafes hIonorarii) who were chosen
-It seems that in this procession, the sella carulis, by the senate and sanctioned by the emperor
as an emblem of his office, was carried before the (Cassiod. i. 10; Justin. Nov. lxx. 80. c. 1), and
consul. (Ov. l.. iv. 4. 29, &c., -9, 17, &c.; Liv. consoles suffecti were then scarcely heard of at all,
xxi. 63; Cic. De Leg. Agsr. ii. 34.) After this, a for Constantine restored the old custom of appointmeeting of the senate took place, -at which the ing only two consuls, one for Constantinople, and
elder of the two consuls made his report concern- the other for Rome, who were to act as supreme
ing the republic, beginning with matters referring judges (under the emperor) for a whole year, and
to religion, and then passing on to other affairs besides these two there were no others except
(referre ad senatznu de rebus divinis et hu72cnis, honorary consuls *and consulares. Although the
Liv. vi. 1, ix. 8, xxxvii. 1; Cic. ad Quir. post Red. dignity of these honorary consuls as well as of the
5.) One of the first among the religious things consules ordinaii and suffecti was merely nominal,
which the consuls had to attend to, was the fixing still it was regarded as the highest in the empire,
of the feriae Latinae, and it was not till they had and w-as sogiht after by noble and wealthy persons
performed the solemn sacrifice on the Alban with the greatest eagerness, notwithstanding the
nmount, that they could go into their provinces. great expenses connected Wifth the office on ac(Liv. xxi. 63, xxii. 1, xxv. 12, xlii. 10..) The count of the public entertainments which a newly
other affairs upon which the consutls had to'report appointed consul had to give to his friends and the
to the senate had reference to the distribution of people. (Lydus, De M/agistr. ii. 8; Liban. Orat.
the provinces, and many other matters connected. 8; Symmach. ii. 64, iv. 8, x. 44; Sidon. Apollin.
with the administration, which often were of the Epist. ii. 3; Cassiod. ii. 2, vi. 1; Procop. De Bell.
highest importance. After these teports, the Pers. i. 25.) Sometimes the emperors themselves
meeting of the senate broke up, and the members assumed the consulship or conferred it upon imaccompanied the consuls to their homes ('Or. ex perial princes. The last consul of Rome was DeciPont. iv. 4. 41), and this being done, the consuls mus Theodorus Paulinu's, a. D. 536, and at Conwere installed in their office, it which they had to stantinople FlaYiAs Blasilibes Junior, in A. D. 541.
exert themselves for the good of their country. After that time, the emperors of the lEast took the
Respecting the various offices which at different title of consul for themselves, until in the end it
times were temporary substitutes for the consul- fell quite into oblivion.
ship, such as the dictatorship, the decemvirate, The official functions of the consuls under the
and the office of the tribuni militares consulari empire were as follows:- 1. They presided in the
potestate, the reader is referred to the separate senate, though, of course, never without the sanction
articles. Toiatds the end of the republic, the of the emiperor; 2. They adminlistered justice,
consulship lost its power and importance. Caesar, partly eira'oi'dicite (Tee. Ann. iv. 19 xiii. 4;
in his dictatorship, gave it the first severe blow, Gell. xiii. 24), and partly in ordiinaty cases, sutch as
for he himself took the office of consul Along with manumissions or the appointment of guardians (Amthat of dictator, or he arbitrarily caused persons to mian. Marcell. xxii. 7; Cassiod. vi. 1; Sueton.
be elected, who in their actions were entirely de- Claud. 23; Plin. H. N. ix. 13); 3. The letting of
pendent upon his will. He himself wvas elected at the public revenues, a duty which had formerly
first for five years, then for ten, and at length for been performed by the censors (Ov. ex Pont. iv. 5.
life. (Sueton. Caes. 76, 80; Dion Cass. xlii. 20, 19); 4. The conducting of the games in the Circus
xliii. 1, 46, 49; Appian, De Bell. Civ. ii. 1 06.) and of public solemnities in honour of the emperors,