and gifted mother, who was left a
widow when they were mere boys.

Tiberius (164-133) entered the army, and served under his brother-in-law
during the third Punic war. Ten years later (136) he was Quaestor in
Spain, where he won the affections of the people by adhering to the mild
policy which his father had previously followed. His popular measures
here displeased his brother-in-law, and he ceased to be a favorite
with him. On his return home he passed through Tuscany where he was
astonished to see large tracts of the _ager publicus_ (see Chapter VII.)
cultivated by slave gangs, while the free poor citizens of the Republic
were wandering in towns without employment, and deprived of the land
which, according to law (see the Licinian Rogations), should have
been divided among them, and not held in large quantities by the rich
land-owners.

Tiberius determined to rectify this wrong. In 133 he offered himself as
candidate for the tribuneship, and was elected. He then began boldly the
battle for the commons. He proposed to revise the Agrarian Law, now a
dead letter, which forbade the holding of more than 320 acres of the
_ager publicus_ by one individual. Occupants who had fenced this land
and improved it were to be compensated therefor.

The wealthy classes and the Senate at once took sides against Tiberius,
and the struggle began. One of the other Tribunes, OCTAVIUS CAECINA,
who was himself a large land-owner, taking advantage of his authority as
Tribune, interposed his veto to prevent a vote upon the question.

Gracchus, full of enthusiasm over the justice of his cause, obtained,
contrary to all precedent, the removal of his colleague from office, and
passed his Agrarian Law. Three commissioners were appointed, himself,
his brother, and his father-in-law, APPIUS CLAUDIUS, to carry it into
effect.

It was contrary to the law that a person should hold the office of
Tribune for two successive years. But Gracchus, in his desire to carry
out his plans, determined to violate this rule, and offered himself as
candidate for the next year. The election day came, and when it became
evident that he would be re-elected, the aristocrats, who had turned out
in full force on the Campus Martius with their retinues of armed slaves
and clients, raised a riot, and, killing Gracchus with three hundred of
his followers, threw their bodies into the Tiber (133). Thus was shed
the first blood of the civil struggle. The mob was led by SCIPI