[427] Liv. iv. 1 “de conubio patrum et plebis C. Canuleius tribunus plebis rogationem promulgavit.”
[428] See p. 39 and cf. Liv. iv. 6; the consuls (in a contio) gave as the official reason “quod nemo plebeius auspicia haberet; ideoque decemviros conubium diremisse, ne incerta prole auspicia turbarentur.”
[429] Liv. iv. 1 “et mentio, primo sensim inlata a tribunis, ut alterum ex plebe consulem liceret fieri, eo processit deinde, ut rogationem novem tribuni promulgarent, ‘ut populo potestas esset, seu de plebe, seu de patribus vellet, consules faciendi.’”
[430] The situation at the beginning of the year thus is described by Livy (iv. 2), “eodem tempore et consules senatum in tribunum, et tribunus populum in consules incitabat.” At last (Liv. iv. 6) “victi tandem patres, ut de conubio ferretur, consensere.”
[431] Liv. iv. 6.
[432] ib. 35.
[433] Claudius in Tab. Lugd. “quid (commemorem) in pluris distributum consulare imperium tribunosque militum consulari imperio appellatos, qui seni et saepe octoni crearentur.”
[434] Livy sometimes speaks of eight (v. 1, vi. 27); cf. Tab. Lugd. cited note 3. It is probable that this number includes the six tribunes and the two censors (Momms. Staatsr. ii. p. 184); e.g. Livy gives eight for the year 403, the Fasti Capitol. for the same year (351 A.U.C. C.I.L. i. p. 428) six and two censors.
[435] Pompon. in Dig. 1, 2, 2, 25 “cum ... plebs contenderet cum patribus et vellet ex suo quoque corpora consules creare, et patres recusarent, factum est ut tribuni militum crearentur partim ex plebe, partim ex patribus consulari potestate.”
[436] Liv. v. 12. This is maintained to be an error by Mommsen, Röm. Forsch. i. 66; Staatsr. ii. p. 188. He holds that in 445 B.C. one L. Atilius Longus was a Plebeian, and that in 400, 399, 396 the Plebeians had a majority. Livy’s view is upheld by Willems Le Sénat i. 58-60.