33.46
The
order of judges exercised supreme power in Carthage at that time, owing
mainly to the fact that they held office for life. The property, reputation and
life of everyone were in their power. Whoever offended one of the order had
an enemy in every member, and when the judges were hostile there was
always a prosecutor to be found amongst them. Whilst these men were
exercising this unbridled despotism, for they used their power without any
regard to the rights of their fellow-citizens, Hannibal, who had been
appointed one of the presiding magistrates, ordered the quaestor to be
summoned before him. The quaestor paid no attention to the summons; he
belonged to the opposite party and, moreover, as the quaestors were
generally advanced to the all-powerful order of judges he gave himself the
airs of a man who was sure of promotion. Resenting this indignity Hannibal
sent an officer to arrest the quaestor, and after he was brought into the
assembly Hannibal denounced not only the quaestor but the whole of the
judicial order, whose insolence and excessive power utterly subverted the
laws and the authority of the magistrates who had to enforce them. When he
saw that his words were making a favourable impression and that the
insolence and tyranny of that order were recognised as dangerous to the
liberty of the meanest citizen, he at once proposed and carried a law enacting
that the judges should be elected annually and that none should hold office
for two consecutive years. Whatever popularity, however, he gained
amongst the masses by his action was counterbalanced by the offence given
to a large number of the aristocracy. A further step which he took in the
public interest aroused intense hostility to him personally. The public
revenues were being frittered away, partly through careless management and
partly through being fraudulently appropriated by some of the political
leaders and superior magistrates. The result was that there was not money
enough to meet the annual payment of the indemnity to Rome, and there
seemed every likelihood of a heavy tax being imposed upon the individual
citizens.