"[121]
Hardened to work, eager for the harvest, steady and economical, these
laborers constituted the strength of the Roman armies. For a long time
they formed the assembly too, and dictated the elections. The nobles
who wished to be elected magistrates came to the parade-ground to
grasp the hand of these peasants ("prensare manus," was the common
expression). A candidate, finding the hand of a laborer callous,
ventured to ask him, "Is it because you walk on your hands?" He was a
noble of great family, but he was not elected.
=The Freedmen.=--The last of all the citizens are the freedmen, once
slaves, or the sons of slaves. The taint of their origin remains on
them; they are not admitted to service in the Roman army and they vote
after all the rest.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC
=The Comitia.=--The government of Rome called itself a republic
(Respublica), that is to say, a thing of the people. The body of
citizens called the people was regarded as absolute master in the
state. It is this body that elects the magistrates, votes on peace and
war, and that makes the laws. "The law," say the jurisconsults, "is
what the Roman people ordains.
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