finally were absorbed
into the body of the plebeians. _Gentes_ among the plebeians now began
to be recognized; previously only the patricians had been divided into
_gentes_.

Thus we see, socially, the two orders were approaching nearer and
nearer.

In 449 Valerius and Horatius were elected Consuls, and were instrumental
in passing the so called VALERIO-HORATIAN laws, the substance of which
was as follows:--

I. Every Roman citizen could appeal to the Comitia Centuriata against
the sentence of any magistrate.

II. All the decisions of the Comitia Tributa (_plebiscita_), if
sanctioned by the Senate and Comitia Centuriata, were made binding
upon patricians and plebeians alike. This assembly now became of equal
importance with the other two.

III. The persons of the Tribunes, Aediles, and other plebeian officers,
were to be considered sacred.

IV. The Tribunes could take part in the debates of the Senate, and veto
any of its decisions.

Two years later (447), the election of the Quaestors, who must still be
patricians, was intrusted to the Comitia Tributa. Heretofore they had
been appointed by the Consuls.

In 445 the Tribune Canuleius proposed a bill which was passed,
and called the CANULEIAN LAW, giving to the plebeians the right of
intermarriage (_connubium_) with the patricians, and enacting that all
issue of such marriages should have the rank of the father.

Canuleius also proposed another bill which he did not carry; viz. that
the consulship be open to the plebeians. A compromise, however, was
made, and it was agreed to suspend for a time the office of Consul, and
to elect annually six MILITARY TRIBUNES in the Comitia Centuriata, the
office being open to all citizens. The people voted every year whether
they should have consuls or military tribunes, and this custom continued
for nearly a half-century. The patricians, however, were so influential,
that for a long time no plebeian was elected.

As an offset to these gains of the plebeians, the patricians in 435
obtained two new officers, called CENSORS, elected from their own ranks
every five years (_lustrum_) to hold office for eighteen months.

The duties of the Censors were:--

I. To see that the citizens of every class were properly registered.

II. To punish immorality in the Senate by the removal of any members who
were guilty of offences against public morals.

III. To have the general supervision of the finances and public works of
the stat