hree laws, which are celebrated in
history under the name of THE LICINIAN ROGATIONS.[20] These were:

I. That in future Consuls, and not Military Tribunes, should be
appointed, and that one of the two Consuls _must_ be a Plebeian.

II. That no citizen should possess more than 500 jugera[21] of the
public land, nor should feed upon the public pastures more than 100 head
of large and 500 of small cattle, under penalty of a heavy fine.

III. That the interest already paid for borrowed money should be
deducted from the principal, and that the remainder should be repaid in
three yearly instalments.

These great reforms naturally excited the most violent opposition, and
the Patricians induced some of the Plebeians to put their veto upon the
measures of their colleagues. But Licinius and Sextius were not to be
baffled in this way, and they exercised their veto by preventing the
Comitia of the Centuries from electing any magistrates for the next
year. Hence no Consuls, Military Tribunes, Censors, or Quaestors could be
appointed; and the Tribunes of the Plebs and the AEdiles, who were
elected by the Comitia of the Tribes, were the only magistrates in the
state. For five years did this state of things continue. C. Licinius and
L. Sextius were re-elected annually, and prevented the Comitia of the
Centuries from appointing any magistrates. At the end of this time they
allowed Military Tribunes to be chosen in consequence of a war with the
Latins; but so far were they from yielding any of their demands, that to
their former Rogations they now added another: That the care of the
Sibylline books, instead of being intrusted to two men (duumviri), both
Patricians, should be given to ten men (decemviri), half of whom should
be Plebeians.

Five years more did the struggle last; but the firmness of the Tribunes
at length prevailed. In B.C. 367 the Licinian Rogations were passed, and
L. Sextius was elected the first Plebeian Consul for the next year. But
the Patricians made one last effort to evade the law. By the Roman
constitution, the Consuls, after being elected by the Comitia
Centuriata, received the Imperium, or sovereign power, from the Comitia
Curiata. The Patricians thus had it in their power to nullify the
election of the Centuries by refusing the Imperium. This they did when
L. Sextius was elected Consul; and they made Camillus, the great
champion of their order, Dictator, to support them in their new
struggle. But the old h