Page:Roman Constitutional History, 753-44 B.C..djvu/146

 CHAPTER IV.

THE GOVERNMENT AND THE OLIGARCHY, 201-133 B.C.

I. The Measures of Scipio Africanus and the Opposition of Cato.

The Policy of Scipio. — At the end of the second Punic war the old heroic leaders had nearly all passed away; and Scipio Africanus, who had won the glory of ending the war, naturally became the leader in peace. At first he met with no opposition; he was elected censor, became first senator (princeps senatus), reached a second consulship, and was accused of reigning in the senate. But Scipio was a better general than statesman. He was too much influenced by family and factional politics, or by class interests, to pursue a definite line of national policy. In a general way he probably intended to enrich and restore the state by means of profitable foreign wars and by minor improvements in the financial administration, and to aid the people directly by limited assignments of land and by founding or strengthening various colonies.

The Colonies. — A short time after the Hannibalic war parcels of land were, through the influence of Scipio, given to such soldiers as had lost their homes during the war, and who had served their time in the army. About the same time reënforcements were sent to some of the most important colonies, in order to keep in check the restless Italian allies, or rather subjects. Scipio later secured the establishment of eight colonies of citizens in various parts of lower