A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1080 DRUSUS.
of the objects of his restless and self-sufficient spirit to become the arbiter of parties, and he acted
from immediate impulses, without considering nicely
the result of his conduct. There was deep meaning in the witticism of Granius, the public crier,
who, when Drusus saluted him in the ordinary
phrase, " Quid agis, Grani?" asked in reply,
" Immo vero, tu Druse, quid agis?" (Cic. pro
Plane. 14.)
To conciliate the people, Drusus renewed several
of the propositions and imitated the measures of
the Gracchi. He proposed and carried laws for
the distribution of corn, or for its sale at a low
price, and for the assignation of public land (leges
frumentariae, agrariae, Liv. Epit. lxxi.). The establishment of several colonies in Italy and Sicily,
which had long been voted, was now effected.
(Appian, de Bell. Civ. i. 35.) Nothing could surpass the extravagance of the largesses to which he
persuaded the senate to accede. (Tac. Ann. iii. 27.)
lie declared that he had been so bountiful, that
nothing was left to be given, by any one else, but
air and dirt, "coelum aut coenum." (De Vir. Ill.
66; Flor. iii. 17.) It was probably the exhaustion of the public treasury produced by such lavish
expenditure that induced him to debase the silver coinage by the alloy of one-eighth part of
brass. (Plin. H. N. xxxiii. 18.) Presumptuous,
arrogant, and rash, he assumed a station to which
he was not entitled by authority and experience,
notwithstanding the splendour of his birth and the
power of his eloquence. But his energy went far (as
energy like his always will do) in silencing opposition, and begetting submission to his will. Once,
when the senate invited his attendance at their
place of meeting, he -sent a message in answer:
" Let them come to me-to the Curia Hostilia,
near the Rostra," and they were so abject as to
obey. (Val. Max. ix. 5. ~ 2: " Cum senatus ad
eum misisset, ut in Curiam veniret. 'Quare non
potius,' inquit, ' ipse in Hostiliam, propinquam
Rostris, id est, ad me venit?" This passage is
remarkable for the opposition between Curia and
Hostilia; whereas it is ordinarily stated that, in
classical writers, Curia, without more, denotes the
Curia Hostilia.)
Such conduct naturally produced a reaction of
feeling among some proud men, who had a high
sense of their own importance, saw the false position in which their party was placed, and disliked
pushing effrontery. In Cicero (de Orat. iii. 1, 2)
we find a description of a scene full of turbulence
and indecorum, where Philippus, the consul, inveighs against the senate, while Drusus and the
orator Crassus withstand him to the face. From
the known politics of the persons concerned, this
scene is exceedingly difficult to explain; but we
believe that it occurred at a period in the career of
Drusus when he had not yet identified himself
with the formidable cabals of the Latins and Italians, and when, in spite of his popular measures,
he still retained the confidence of the senate, from
his resistance to the equites. We believe that the
haughty Philippus upbraided the senate for their
complaisance to Drusus in favouring the plebs, and
that it was the unmeasured rebuke of the aristocrat
which roused the esprit de corps of the senator
Crassus. We know from other sources that Philippus opposed the passing of the agrarian laws of
Drusus, and interru)pted the tribune while he was
haranguing the assembly; whereupon Drusus sent

DRUSUS.
one of his clients, instead of the regular viator, to
arrest the consul. (Val. Max. ix. 5. ~ 2; Florus,
iii. 17, and Auct. de Vir. Ill. vary slightly from
each other and from Valerius Maximus.) This
order was executed with extreme violence, and
Philippus was collared so tightly, that the blood
started from his nostrils; upon which Drusus,
taunting the luxurious epicurism of the consul,
cried out, "Psha! it is only the gravy of thrushes."
(Schottus, ad Auct. de Vir. Ill. 66.)
Having thus bought over the people (who used
to rise and shout when he appeared), and having,
by promising to procure for them all the rights of
citizenship, induced the Latini and Italic socii to
assist him, Drusus was able, by force and intimidation, to carry through his measures concerning
the judicia (" legem judiciariam pertulit," Liv.
Epit. lxxi.). Some writers, following Liv. Epit.
Ixxi., speak of his sharing the judicia between the
senate and the equites; but his intention seems to
have been entirely to transfer the judicia to the
senate; for, without any positive exclusion of the
equites and lower orders, as long as senators were
eligible, it is probable that no names but those of
senators would be placed by the praetors upon the
lists of judices. (Puchta, Institutionen, i. ~ 71.)
We accept the circumstantial statement of Appian
(B. C. i. 35), according to which the law of Drusus
provided that the senate, now reduced below the
regular number of 300, should be reinforced by
the introduction of an equal number of new members selected from the most distinguished of the
equites; and enacted that the senate, thus doubled
in number, should possess the judicia. The law
seems to have been silent as to any express exclusion of the equites; but it might be implied from
its language that such exclusion was contemplated,
and, so far as its positive enactment referred to the
new members, they were entitled to be placed on
the list of judices, qua senators, not qu equites.
Nor was there any prospective regulation for supplying from the equestrian order vacancies in the
judicial lists. To this part of the law was added
a second part, appointing a commission of inquiry
into the bribery and corruption which the equites
had practised while in exclusive possession of the
judicia. (Appian, I. c.; compare Cic. pro Rubiro
Post. 7, pro Cluent. 56.)
After Drusus had so far succeeded, the reaction
set in rapidly and strongly. The Romans, who
were usually led as much by feeling as by calculation, required to be manuaged with peculiar tact
and delicacy; but Drusus had a rough way of
going to work, which, even in the momnent of success, set in array against him the vanity and prejudices of public men; and in his measures themselves there appeared to be a species of trimming,,
which, while it seemed intended to displease none,
was ultimately found to be unsatisfactory to all,
It may be that he was actuated by a single-minded
desire to do equal justice to all, and to remedy
abuses wherever they might lurk, careless of the
offence which his reforms might give; but even
his panegyrists among the ancients do not view
his character in this light. Whatever else were
his motives (and we believe them to have been
complex-mzlta varie moliebatur), he appeared to
be the slave of many masters. Mob-popularity is
at best but fleeting, and those of the people who
had not been favoured with tlhe distribution of
lands were discontented at the luck of their more