42.10
This
year the lustrum was closed. The censors were Q. Fulvius Flaccus and A.
Postumius Albinus; Postumius closed the lustrum. The number of Roman
citizens as shown by the census was 269,015, a somewhat smaller number
than the previous one. This was owing to the fact that, as the consul
explained to the Assembly, all those who had to return to their own cities in
compliance with the consul's edict were registered in their own places of
residence, none of them in Rome. The censors had discharged their functions
in perfect harmony and in the best interests of the commonwealth. All those
whom they struck off the senatorial roll, or degraded from the order of the
equites, they placed amongst the aerarii and expelled from the tribes, and
neither of them retained any name which the other censor had rejected.
Fulvius dedicated the temple of Fortuna Equestris, which he had vowed six
years previously when fighting with the Celtiberi. He also exhibited the
Scenic Games for four days and those in the Circus Maximus for one day. L.
Cornelius Lentulus, one of the Keepers of the Sacred Books, died this year,
and A. Postumius Albinus was appointed in his place. Such clouds of locusts
invaded Apulia from the sea that they covered the fields far and wide with
their swarms. To get rid of this destruction to the crops Cn. Sicinius was
sent with full powers into Apulia and spent a considerable time in getting
together an enormous number of men to collect them.
The following year in which C. Popilius and P. Aelius were the
consuls began with the dispute left over from the year before. The senators
wanted to discuss the question of the Ligurians and to reaffirm their
resolution. The consul Aelius brought the matter up for discussion; Popilius,
on his brother's behalf, tried to dissuade both his colleague and the senate
from taking any further action and publicly gave out that if they made any
decree he should oppose it. He deterred his colleague from going any
further; the senate were all the more incensed against both consuls and
insisted on carrying the matter through. So when the allocation of provinces
came up and the consuls were anxious to have Macedonia, as a war with
Perseus was now imminent, the senate decreed Liguria as the province for
both consuls. They refused to decree Macedonia unless the case of M.
Popilius was gone into. The consuls then demanded to be allowed to raise
fresh armies or else reinforcements for the old armies. Both requests were
refused. Two of the praetors asked for reinforcements: M. Junius for Hither
Spain and Sp. Lucretius for Further Spain. Their request was also refused.
C. Licinius Crassus had received the civic and Cn. Sicinius the alien
jurisdiction; C. Memmius had Sicily allotted to him, and Sp. Cluvius
Sardinia. The consuls were angry with the senate for the course they had
taken, and after fixing the Latin Festival at the earliest possible date, gave
notice that they should leave for their province and would transact no public
business beyond what was connected with the administration of the
provinces.
