Page:Roman Constitutional History, 753-44 B.C..djvu/190

176 As it was, the overthrow of the senatorial government was incomplete. He had weakened the governing class, but had established no substitute. He was himself the chief positive element in the new government, and when he died the revolution collapsed. The senate resumed control of affairs under the modified constitution, and sought, so far as possible, to annul his laws.

Fate of the Laws of Gracchus. — Most of the laws of Gracchus remained in force. The law in respect to appeal was to a certain extent impaired, as the execution of democrats without appeal formed a precedent. The Acilian law on extortion was after a time superseded by a more severe enactment. The colony at Carthage — the most important of all — was abolished, but the assignments of land there were valid. The colony at Tarentum remained. The old city continued, however, under a Greek municipal government. The colony of Scylacium-Minervium may have been founded by the aristocratic party. On the other hand, no colony was established at Capua.

The agrarian law of Tiberius was repealed piecemeal. Alienation of the lands assigned was soon allowed. This gave the lazy and shiftless a chance to sell, and the rich a chance to buy out, or drive away, the small farmers. Partly for this reason the reënactment of the law by Gaius Gracchus seems to have been of no great consequence, the number of citizens being about the same according to the census of 125 and that of 115. About 118 a plebiscite of Spurius Thorius prohibited further assignments of public land and thus abolished the agrarian commission. The present occupiers of public domain were to remain in possession on condition of paying rent, the proceeds of which were to be distributed among the poor. Perhaps the colony of Narbo Martius, the first permanent Roman colony outside of Italy, was founded as a sort of compensation for the abolition of