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

292 GRACCHUS. GRACCHUS.
Gracchus addressed the people in those days is ing of the public land possessed by the wealthy, to
preserved in Plutarch (Tib. Gracc. 8): it bears all deprive them of that which was beyond the amount
the marks of genuineness, and has unjustly been allowed by the law, and to distribute it among the
considered by modern critics as a spurious piece of poor. The persons appointed as triumvirs were
declamation. When Tiberiushbrought forward his Tib. Gracchus, App.' Claudius, his father-in-law,
bill, and it was manifest that it would be carried, and his brother C. Gracchus, who was then little
the senatorial party resorted to the only means that more than twenty years old, and was serving
was left them,-they gained over to their side one in the camp of P. Scipio at Numantia, Fortune
of the tribunes, M. Octavius Caecina, a man of a thus seemed to favour the undertakings of Gracmost' obstinate character, who' himself occupied chus, and the people evinced a most enthusiastic
more of tile public domain than the:law allowed. attachment to him; but the treatment which he
His interposition would of course have thwarted all experienced in the senate, where P. Scipio Nasica
the plans of Tiberius. The disputes between the was at the head of the aristocracy, was of a very
two tribunes went on day after day, and Tiberius, different kind: he was attacked with' contumely
though he was by. no means in affluent circum- and the most unbridled fury. At the'same time,
stances,'offered to indemnify Octavius out of his one of his intimate friends suddenly died, and his
own purse, for the loss which he might *sustain body bore marks of poison. Such things were just
through the agrarian law. This offer was refused so many proofs to Gracchus that it required the
with indignation. Tiberius was prevailed upon to greatest precaution not to fall into the hands of
refer the matter to the senate; but there he was some secret assassin. Whenever, therefore, he aponly abused, and the question did not advance one peared in public, he was surrounded by a body of
step further. When the people again met, and friends, who formed a sort of body-guard.:
Tiberius saw no other way of carrying'his' measure, About this time a messenger arrived from Asia,
he declared that, as two tribunes differed in their with the will of king Attalus, who had bequeathed
opinions upon the public good, and could not come his kingdom and his property to the Roman people.
to any understanding, one of them must resign his Gracchus availed himself of this opportunity for
office. Tiberius suspended the entire administration enabling the poor, who were to receive lands, to
of governmentand under heavy penalties forbade the purchase the necessary implements, cattle and the
magistrates to exercise their official authority, until like; and he accordingly proposed that the money
this question was settled. Fear and exasperation which Attalus had bequeathed to the Romans
increased, and the people looked forward with should be distributed among the people. It is getrembling to the day when the matter was to come nerally stated that this law was carried, but in the
to a decision, When the day of the assembly ar- Epitome of Livy (lib. 58) we read that he only
rived, Tiberius publicly implored Octavius to yield promised the people to bring forward the bill. His
to the wishes of the people, who desired nothing agrarian law had evidently the object of creating an
but what they had a right to -claim. When this industrious middle class of husbandmen; and, in
request was also repudiated, Tiberius proceeded to order to infuse some better blood into them, he is
carry his threat into execution, but offered that his said to have entertained the idea of extending the
own case should be put to the vote first. When Roman franchise, by'admitting the Italian allies to
all attempts failed, Tiberius proposed the deposition the full rights of Roman citizens. (Vell. Pat. ii. 2.)
of Octavius, and put it to the vote at once. When The matter certainly appears to have been discussed
seventeen out of the thirty-five tribes had already at the time, but no steps seem to have been taken,
voted for his deposition, Tiberius stopped the pro- though it would have been one of the wisest and
ceedings, and again implored Octavius to desist most salutary measures that could have been defrom' his opposition; but Octavius indignantly ex- vised. He further abridged the time that Roman
claimed," Complete what thou hast begun.'"' The citizens had to serve in the armies. Macrobius
eighteenth tribe voted, and the'tribuneship of (Sat. ii. 10) mentions a lex udiciaria of Tiberius,
Octavius was gone: he was dragged from the but'this'seems to be only a ucistake, the name of
hustings, and with difficulty escaped being mur- Tiberius being' there written instead of Caius.
dered on the spot. Th h deposition of a tribune was Tiberius went even so far as to threaten to dea thing unheard of in the history of Rome, and was, prive the senate of the administration, inasmuch
accordingly, proclaimed by the opposition as an as he declared that the senate had no right to deunconstitutional act. They now triumphed over cide upon the towns and. cities of the kingdom of
Gracchus, since he had given them a handle, and Pergamus. Tiberius had thus reached the zenith
by his'own act seemed to justify their' hostility of his power, but fortune began to turn against
against'him. The deposition of Octavius' for the him. The opinion of his opponents that he had
lawful exercise of his rights has been looked'upon violated the sacred character of a tribune in the
by both ancient and modern writers as a'violation person of Octavius, had gradually spread among the
of the laws of the Roman constitution, but its in- people, which in its short-sightedness could not
justice was only' of a formal nature, a mere irre- distinguish between the motives of the two parties,
gularity; and: Tiberius, as Niebuhr (Lectures on and merely looked for inomentary advantages and
Ront. Hist. vol. i. p. 333) justly remarks, might gratifications. Hence they began not only to show
have said that a tribune who acted independent indifference towards their sincere and disinterested
of the people was an abuse, and a still greater irre- protector, but even turned against him. In adgularity; the people surely had the right to take dition to this, his enemies spread the absurd report
away a commission from a man to whom they had that Tiberius had secretly received a diadem and a
given it; it is an absurdity if in a republic this purple robe from the P.ergamenian messenger, and
right is not maintained. that he entertairied the thought of making himself
After the removal of Octavius, the agrarian law king of Rome. This report, which every one must
was cirried without opposition, and permanent tri- have known to be a mere malicious calumny, was
umvirs were appointed to superintend the measnur- spread abroad by the contemptible Pompeius, with