lic it was usual for both Consuls and several Praetors
to remain at Rome during their year of office, and at its close to take
the command of provinces, with the titles of Proconsuls or Propraetors.

5. The _Dictatorship_, which occurs so often in the early history of the
Republic, disappears altogether after the Second Punic War. As the
Republic became powerful, and had no longer to dread any enemies in
Italy, there was no necessity for such an extraordinary magistracy as
the Dictatorship, but whenever internal dangers seemed to require a
stronger executive, the Senate invested the Consuls with dictatorial
power.[41]

6. The _Censors_ were two in number, elected every five years, but they
held their office for a year and a half. They were taken, as a general
rule, from those who had been previously Consuls, and their office was
regarded as the highest dignity in the state. Their duties, which were
very extensive and very important, may be divided into three classes,
all of which, however, were closely connected.

(_a_). Their first and most important duty was to take the Census. This
was not simply a list of the population, according to the modern use of
the word, but a valuation of the property of every Roman citizen. This
valuation was necessary, not only for the assessment of the
property-tax, but also for determining the position of every citizen in
the state, which was regulated, in accordance with the constitution of
Servius Tullius, by the amount of his property. Accordingly, the Censors
had to draw up lists of the Classes and Centuries. They also made out
the lists of the Senators and Equites, striking out the names of all
whom they deemed unworthy, and filling up all vacancies in the Senate.

(_b._) The Censors possessed a general control over the conduct and
morals of the citizens. In the exercise of this important power they
were not guided by any rules of law, but simply by their own sense of
duty. They punished acts of private as well as public immorality, and
visited with their censure not only offenses against the laws, but every
thing opposed to the old Roman character and habits, such as living in
celibacy, extravagance, luxury, etc. They had the power of degrading
every citizen to a lower rank, of expelling Senators from the Senate, of
depriving the Equites of their horses, and of removing ordinary citizens
from their tribes, and thus excluding them from all political rights.

(_c._) The Censors a