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Pighil. Annales, A.U. 623. Dionyf. lib. x. 1 1. Dionyf. xi. 

 57. Middleton of Rom. Sen. p. 45. 



iSylla, the diftator, was the firit who prefumed to put 

 a ftop to the encroachments of the tribunes, A.U. 672 ; 

 but under Cotta, the conful, they recovered part of their 

 power, A. U. 679 ; and in 683, Pompey the Great re-efta- 

 bhfhed them in the poffefiion of their ancient privileges. 

 Their power fubfdled till the time of Julius Caefar. And 

 in the year of Rome 731, the fenate by a decree transferred 

 the whole authority of tribunes of the people to Auguftus 

 and his fucceffors, fo that they had little more than the name 

 and form of magillrates ; whence the emperors wore faid to 

 be tribunltia potejlate donati. Accordingly, Auguftus him- 

 felf was tribune for thirty-feven years ; Tiberius affumed 

 the fame quality ; as likewife did his fucceflbr ; fignify- 

 ing the year of their tribunate on their medals and 

 coins ; but their defign in it was only to pofTefs themfelves 

 of all the authority, that there might be nobody to oppofe 

 them. 



In the time of the emperors Nerva and Trajan, the dig- 

 nity of tribune of the people was a mere title, without 

 office and honour ; and thus it continued till the reign of 

 Conftantine the Great, after which there occurs no mention 

 of this magiftrate. 



Tribune of the Soldiers, Trlbunus MUitum, or Militaris, 

 an officer in the Roman army, who commanded in chief over 

 a body of forces, particularly a divifion of a legion ; and 

 was much the fame with our colonel, or the French viejlre 

 ■de camp. 



There is a diftinftion of the tribunes into lat'iclav'u and 

 angujllclavii : thofe born of noble families were allowed, 

 after they were made tribunes of a legion, to take the latuf- 

 clavus. The reft were only to wear the angujliifclavus ; 

 whence Suetonius takes care to inform us, that his father 

 Was tribiinus latiela-vius of the thirteenth legion. Over thefe 

 tribunes of legions and cohorts, there were other tribunes 

 who commanded in the abfence of the ccnfuls, and who 

 were invefted with a confular authority. Budasus will have 

 thefe to be much the fame as the marfhals of France, or, at 

 leaft, as our lieutenants-general. 



Romulus likewife eftabliftied a tribune of the cavalry, 

 tribimus equhum, who was the fame with the magifler equitum 

 under the dictators, the firft officer after the kings. 



The tribunes of the foldiery were of an elder ftanding 

 than thofe of the people ; thofe latter being eleded out of 

 the former. Varro will have it they were called tribunes, 

 becaufe, at firft, they were only three in number in each 

 legion, when the legion confifted of three thoufand men, 

 taken out of the three tribes then on foot. In propor- 

 tion as the legion was increafed, the number of tribunes 

 was likewife increafed to the number of fix. 



At firft, the nomination lay in the general of the army ; 

 but in the year of Rome 391, it was appointed, that the 

 people (hould nominate one part, and the general another ; 

 the latter were called RufuU, from Rutilius Rufus, who 

 pafled that law. « 



Thofe cholen by the people in the cortiitia, were called 

 comiliati ; they were indifferently either patricians or ple- 

 beians ; and they had the fame marks of honour as the con- 

 fuls themfelves. The tribune of the pretorian cohorts was the 

 captain of the guards. 



Tribune was alfo an appellation given to various other 

 officers ; as the tribuni ararii, tribunes of the treafury. Tri- 

 bune of the celeres, or Roman light-horfe, the officer wTlo 

 commanded them. Tribuni fibricarum, thofe who had the 

 direftion of the making of arms. Tribuni marinorum, tribuni 

 nelatwrum, and tribuni voluptatum, mentioned in the Theo- 



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dofian Code, as intendants of the public ftiows, and other 

 diverfions. 



The title of tribune, tribunus, was alfo given to the chief 

 of each tribe. 



TRIBUNITIAN, Tkibunitius, a term among 

 antiquaries and medallifts. The tribunilian power wal 

 the dignity, office, or authority of a tribune of the 

 people. 



This power was an"iimed by the emperors, and makes 

 one of the chief titles they bear on their medals : the qua- 

 lity was firft introduced by Auguftus, to keep the fovereign 

 authority over the other magiftrates without either taking 

 that of diftator or king. Indeed, it was offered to Juhut 

 Casfar, but he defpifed it. Auguftus is the firft who ufed 

 It, and his fucceftbrs followed his example. They reckoned 

 the years of their empire on their medals by thofe of their 

 tribunitian power. 



This power was fometimcs given them for a certain 

 number of years, and fometimes for ever. Sometimes the 

 emperors would communicate the power to fuch as they 

 afl!"ociated, or as they intended to fucceed them : and Tibe- 

 rius held it fifteen years with Auguftus. But this praftice 

 only obtained till the time of Valerian and Gallienus. 

 After them we only findTR. P. II. in Claudius; TR.P.V. 

 in AureHan ; and TR. P. in Probus. This, however, is 

 only to be underftood of medals ; for in infcriptions we find 

 it after that time. 



Cardinal Noris and F. Pagi have difputed about this 

 tribunitian power, in whicii it confifted. The firft main- 

 tains, that it did not at all diff'er from that of the ordi- 

 nary tribunes, which confifted in three things: i. In the 

 right of oppofing all the ads and refolutions of the other 

 magiftrates. 2. In that it rendered their perfons facred 

 and inviolable. 3. In a power of making edifts and laws. 



F. Pagi afierts, that it made an addition to the power of 

 the tribunes ; that the privilege it conferred of making 

 edifts, was more ample than that of the ordinary tribunes ; 

 befides, that it carried with it a power of convening the 

 fenate at pleafure. 



M. Spanheim is of F. Pagi's opinion ; he believes that 

 the tribunitian power had much the advantage of the tri- 

 bunes : I. In that it was peculiar to tlic patricians, and did 

 not reduce the perfon who iield it to the degree of a plebeian. 

 2. In that it was not confined to the city of Rome alone, 

 like the other ; but that it extended throughout the empire, 

 as well as the proconfular power, which was ufnally an- 

 nexed to it. 3. That the dignity of the tribunes was in- 

 ferior to that of the pretors ; whereas tiu- tribunitian power 

 of the Csfars conferred, according to Tacitus, a fovereign 

 authority over all magiftrates, and rendered fuch as it was 

 communicated to, equal to the emperors, and even made 

 them their colleagues in the empire ; befides the power of 

 oppofing the enterprizes of all the. other magiftrates ; and 

 that it rendered their perfons facred, and gave them a right 

 to aftemble and difmifs the fenate ; whicii were privileges 

 the tribunitian power had in common with the tribunes. 



F. Hardouin thinks we fiiould diftuignilli two tribunitian 

 powers ; the one civil, the other military ; but tlie proof he 

 brings of them is very weak. M. Spanheim fays, his diftinc- 

 tion is only founded on vain conjettures, none of which dc- 

 fcrve notice. 



The learned are greatly divided as to the month and day 

 on which the tribunitian power commenced : Sigonius and 

 Petavius will have it begin on the ift of January : others, as 

 Perizonius, on the fifth of the calends of July : M. Toi- 

 nard, on the fourth of the ides of December : Onuplirius, 

 cardinal Noris, F. Pagi, &c. on the day of the emperor's 



acccffioB 



