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the constitutional history of Rome begins where the oldest annals 

 present little more than mere names of public functionaries. 

 The fundamental principle of the Eoman republic was the 

 sovereignty of the people : this, however, was peculiarly consti- 

 tuted, for there coexisted three popular assemblies, differing 

 from one another in many essential points. These were the 

 comitia curiata, comitia centuriata, and the comitia tributa, the 

 characteristics of which he described. The first was patrician, 

 no plebeian ever obtaining admission ; the second was military, 

 in which patricians and plebians were ranged according to 

 wealth; and the third represented the democracy. He then 

 entered upon the consideration of the working of these bodies, 

 giving his own views upon doubtful points. In course of this 

 inquiry he was led to determine the time of the discontinuance 

 of the formal assemblies of the curies during the second Punic 

 war, and brought forward the curious criticism of Rubino upon 

 the fragmentary work of Festus. The process of forming and 

 passing laws was then discussed, and the meaning of the 

 patrum audoritas learnedly examined. He then observed, 

 that from the comitia centuriata, which represented and exer- 

 cised the sovereignty, there was no appeal. No other assembly 

 had a right to revise, amend, reject, or approve the vote of 

 these comitia. But they were intimately connected with the 

 Senate, which formed an executive board for the previous dis- 

 cussion of all measures, for the drawing up of bills, and for 

 their execution when passed into laws. He then noticed the 

 influence of the liberal party exercised through the Consul, 

 and the violent concussion which took place in the year 

 339 B.C., when certain privileges were granted under the 

 dread of a dissolution of the state. Before then, the Consul 

 was dependant upon the Senate for the measures he brought 

 forward in the comitia ; now he might appeal to the people at 

 once, and the Senate was bound to sanction beforehand what- 

 ever the people might decide. 



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