ld be within their power he commanded that no court or other
meeting which required their attention should be held at that time. He
made provision with respect to the number necessary for ratifying decrees
under each separate category, to put it briefly; and he increased the
fines imposed upon those who without good excuse were not present at the
gatherings. Inasmuch as many such offences had generally gone unpunished
owing to the large number of those who had incurred penalties, he
commanded that if many should do this, they should draw lots, and every
fifth one to draw a lot should be held liable to punishment.--The names
of all the senators he had recorded on a white tablet and conspicuously
posted. From the beginning made by him this is now annually done. _His_
intention in doing it was to make it absolutely necessary for them to
come together. Sometimes, by some accident, not so many might assemble as
a special case demanded. This would be known, because except on such days
as the emperor himself might be present the number of those in attendance
was both at this time and later carefully ascertained, and with a great
degree of accuracy. Under these circumstances they would deliberate and
their decision would be recorded, but it was not final, was not ratified:
instead, _auctoritas_ was declared, in order that their _will_ might be
evident,--for such is the force of this word. To translate the term into
Greek by a single expression is not possible. This same custom prevailed
in case they ever assembled through haste in an irregular place, or on a
day that was not fitting, or without a legal summons, or if because
of the opposition of tribunes a decree could not be passed, but their
opinion was not to be concealed. Later, ratification was granted
according to ancestral precedent to the resolution in question, and the
latter obtained the name of _senatus consultum_. This method, strictly
observed for an extremely long period by the men of old time, has in a
already become null and void,--as also the prerogative of the praetors.
For the latter were indignant that they might bring no proposition before
the senate although they ranked above the tribunes in dignity and they
received from Augustus the right of doing so, but in the course of time
it was taken away from them again.

[-4-] These and other laws which he at this time enacted he inscribed on
white tablets and submitted to the senate before taking any final action