The tribunes of the
people of Rome (like, in the nature of their magistracy, and for
some time in number, to the ephors, as being, according to
Halicarnassus and Plutarch, instituted in imitation of them) had
power to summon any man, his magistracy at least being expired
(for from the Dictator there lay no appeal) to answer for himself
to the people. As in the case of Coriolanus, who was going about
to force the people, by withholding corn from them in a famine,
to relinquish the magistracy of the tribunes, in that of Spurius
Cassius for affecting tyranny, of Marcus Sergius for running away
at Veii, of Caius Lucretius for spoiling his province, of Junius
Silanus for making war without a command from the people against
the Cimbri, with divers others. And the crimes of this nature
were called loesoe majestatis, or high treason. Examples of such
as were arraigned or tried for peculation, or defraudation of the
commonwealth, were Marcus Curius for intercepting the money of
the Samnites, Salinator for the unequal division of spoils to his
soldiers, Marcus Posthumius for cheating the commonwealth by a
feigned shipwreck. Causes of these two kinds were of a more
public nature; but the like power upon appeals was also exercised
by the people in private matters, even during the time of the
kings, as in the case of Horatius.
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