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 of Egypt could be staved off by a few lines on these mysterious leaves, it is no wonder that their own guardians, the decemviri, scarcely dared to unfold them without the authorisation of the Senate. The activity of the comitia was sometimes hampered by the Senate's habit of decreeing extraordinary festivals (feriae), while the successful general was dependent on its will for the duration of the thanksgivings (supplicationes) which followed his victory. The reception of a new god into the Roman Pantheon was probably in strict law a popular right, but it is one that seems to have been tacitly conceded to the Senate.