ef. Then the thirty
Latin cities combined together and made this Octavius their dictator,
and bound themselves to restore their old friend and ally, King Tarquin,
to the sovereignty of Rome.

P. Valerius, who was called "Poplicola," was now dead, and the Romans
looked about for some chief worthy to lead them against the army of the
Latins. Poplicola had been made consul four times, and his compeers
acknowledged him as their chief, and all men submitted to him as to a
king. But now the two consuls were jealous of each other; nor had they
power of life and death within the city, for Valerius (as we saw) had
taken away the axes from the fasces. Now this was one of the reasons why
Brutus and the rest made two consuls instead of one king: for they said
that neither one would allow the other to become tyrant; and since they
only held office for one year at a time, they might be called on to give
account of their government when their year was at an end.

Yet though this was a safeguard of liberty in times of peace, it was
hurtful in time of war, for the consuls chosen by the people in their
great assemblies were not always skilful generals; or if they were so,
they were obliged to lay down their command at the year's end.

So the senate determined, in cases of great danger, to call upon one of
the consuls to appoint a single chief, who should be called "dictator,"
or master of the people. He had sovereign power (_Imperium_) both in the
city and out of the city, and the fasces were always carried before him
with the axes in them, as they had been before the king. He could only
be appointed for six months, but at the end of the time he had to give
no account. So that he was free to act according to his own judgment,
having no colleague to interfere with him at the present, and no
accusations to fear at a future time. The dictator was general-in-chief,
and he appointed a chief officer to command the knights under him, who
was called "master of the horse."

And now it appeared to be a fit time to appoint such a chief, to take
the command of the army against the Latins. So the first dictator was T.
Lartius, and he made Spurius Cassius his master of the horse. This was
in the year B.C. 499, eight years after the expulsion of Tarquin.

But the Latins did not declare war for two years after. Then the senate
again ordered the consul to name a master of the people, or dictator;
and he named Aul. Postumius, who appointed T. AEbutius