. Rome : its rise and fall ; a text-book for high schools and colleges. owork to reorganize the government. In place of the king,there were elected (509 ), by the comitia centuriata, inwhich assembly the plebeians had a vote, two patricianmagistrates, called at first prcetors, or leaders, but later,consuls, or colleagues. These magistrates were chosenfor one year, and were invested with all the powers, savesome priestly functions,9 that had been exercised by theking during the regal period. In public each consul wasattended, as the king had been, by twelve lictors, eachbearing the dread fa
. Rome : its rise and fall ; a text-book for high schools and colleges. owork to reorganize the government. In place of the king,there were elected (509 ), by the comitia centuriata, inwhich assembly the plebeians had a vote, two patricianmagistrates, called at first prcetors, or leaders, but later,consuls, or colleagues. These magistrates were chosenfor one year, and were invested with all the powers, savesome priestly functions,9 that had been exercised by theking during the regal period. In public each consul wasattended, as the king had been, by twelve lictors, eachbearing the dread fasces (par. 13). Each consul had the power of obstructing the acts orvetoing the commands of the other. This was called theright of intercession. This division of authority weak- 9 These were devolved upon a magistrate known as rex sacrorum,or king of the sacrifices. 62 THE EARLY REPUBLIC. 63 ened the executive, so that in times of great public dangerit was necessary to supersede the consuls by the appoint-ment of a special officer bearing the title of dictator, whose. Lictors. term of office was limited to six months, but whose powerduring this time was as unlimited as that of the king hadbeen. He was nominated by one of the consuls actingunder an order of the senate which must be obeyed, andwas clothed with his sovereign authority (imperium) by the 64 ROME AS A REPUBLIC. comitia curiataP He was preceded by twenty-four dictator always named as his lieutenant and repre-sentative a magistrate known as the master of the horse {magister equitum). Sometimes a dictator was appointedmerely to hold an election, or to perform some religiousceremonial act. A consul could not be impeached, or reached by anylegal or constitutional process, while in office ; but afterthe expiration of his term he could be prosecuted for anymisconduct or illegal act of which he might have beenguilty while holding his magistracy. This rule was appliedto all the other magistrates of the
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