ProQuest Dissertations - Historia Antigua

homes. Even then the City was overcrowded by the multitude of immigrants.(Trans. Roberts)mouerunt senatum et legationes socium nominis Latini, quae et censores etpriores consules fatigauerant, tandem in senatum introductae. summaquerellarum erat, dues suos Romae censos plerosque Romam commigrasse; quodsi permittatur, perpaucis lustris futurum, ut deserta oppida, deserti agri nullummilitem dare possint. Fregellas quoque milia quattuor familiarum transisse ab seSamnites Paelignique querebantur, neque eo minus aut hos out illos in dilectumilitum dare, genera autemfraudis duo mutandae uiritim ciuitatis inducta erant.lex sociis [acj nominis Latini, qui stirpem ex sese domi relinquerent, dabat, utdues Romani fierent. ea lege male utendo alii sociis, aliipopulo Romanoiniuriam fadebant. nam et ne stirpem domi relinquerent, liberos suos quibuslibetRomanis in earn condicionem, ut manu mitterentur, mandpio dabant, libertiniquedues essent; et quibus stirps deesset, quam relinquerent, ut dues Romani * *fiebant. postea his quoque imaginibus iuris spretis, promiscue sine lege, sinestirpe in duitatem Romanam per migrationem et censum transibant. haec nepostea fierent, petebant legati, et ut redire in duitates iuberent sodos; deinde utlege cauerent, ne quis quern ciuitatis mutandae causa suumfaceret neuealienaret; et si quis ita ciuis Romanus factus esset, . haecimpetrata ab senatu. Livy 41.8.6-12Delegates from the Latin allies, after numberless appeals to the censors and thelate consuls, were at length admitted to an audience of the senate, and theirstatement made a great impression. The gist of their complaint was that theircitizens who were on the Roman register had migrated in great numbers to theCity, and if this were allowed it would come to pass in a very few lustra that thetowns and fields would be deserted and incapable of furnishing any men for thearmy. The Samnites and Paeligni stated that 4000 families had gone from them toFregellae, but they were not diminishing their contingents, nor were theFregellans increasing theirs. The practice of individuals changing their citizenshipled to two kinds of fraud. The law allowed those amongst the Latin allies whochose, to become Roman citizens if they left male progeny behind in the oldhome. This law was abused to the injury of the allies and of the Roman people.For in order to avoid any male descendants being left at home, they gave theirchildren as slaves to some Roman or other, on condition that they should bemanumitted, and as freedmen become citizens, whilst on the other hand those whohad no male descendants became Roman citizens. Subsequently, even this legalpresence was brushed aside. In defiance of law and without any male descendantsthey migrated to Rome and were placed on the City register. The delegates askedthat this might be stopped for the future, and that those who had migrated shouldbe ordered to return to their homes. They asked further that a law might be passedmaking it illegal for any person to adopt or manumit any one with the view ofchanging his citizenship, and also require those who had become Roman citizensby this means to renounce their citizenship. The senate granted these requests.(Trans. Roberts)267