38.42
It was
almost at the close of the year that the consul M. Valerius came from Liguria
to elect new magistrates. He had done nothing worth mentioning in his
province, and this might have been the reason why he had come at a later
date than usual to conduct the elections. The consular elections were held on
February 18; the new consuls were M. Aemilius Lepidus and C. Flaminius.
The praetors elected on the following day were Ap. Claudius Pulcher, Ser.
Sulpicius Galba, Q. Terentius Culleo, L. Terentius Massiliota, Q. Fulvius
Flaccus, and M. Furius Crassipes. When the elections were over the consuls
asked the senate to settle what provinces were to be assigned to the
praetors. They decreed that there should be two in Rome for the
administration of justice; two outside Italy, namely Sicily and Sardinia; two
in Italy itself, namely Tarentum and Gaul; and the praetors were ordered to
ballot at once for these before they took office. The civic jurisdiction fell to
Ser. Sulpicius, the alien to Q. Terentius, Sicily went to L. Terentius, Sardinia
to Q. Fulvius, Tarentum to Ap. Claudius, and Gaul to M. Furius. During the
year L. Minucius Myrtilus and L. Manlius were charged with having beaten
the Carthaginian ambassadors. They were handed over to them by the fetials
and carried off to Carthage.
There were rumours of a warlike movement on a large scale in
Liguria, which was every day growing more serious. In consequence of this
the senate decreed that both the consuls should have Liguria as their
province. The consul Lepidus opposed this resolution and protested against
both consuls being confined to the valleys of Liguria. M. Fulvius, he said,
and Cn. Manlius had now for two years been acting like kings, the one in
Europe, the other in Asia, as though they had replaced Philip and Antiochus
on their thrones. If it was the pleasure of the senate that there should be
armies in those countries it was more fitting that consuls should command
them than unofficial citizens. They were visiting with all the horrors of war
nations against whom no war had been proclaimed, and selling peace to them
at a price. If it was necessary that armies should occupy those provinces,
then C. Livius and M. Valerius as consuls ought to succeed Fulvius and
Manlius, just as L. Scipio, when consul, succeeded Manius Acilias, and M.
Fulvius and Cn. Manlius, when they became consuls, succeeded L. Scipio.
Now, at all events, seeing that the war in Aetolia was at an end, Asia taken
from Antiochus, and the Gauls subjugated, either consuls ought to be sent to
command consular armies, or the legions brought home and restored to the
republic. After listening to this speech the senate adhered to their decision
that Liguria should be the province of both consuls, and Manlius and Fulvius
were to resign their provinces, bring their armies away and return to Rome.
