42.31
Then
the senate decided that the consuls should come to a mutual arrangement
about their provinces of Italy and Macedonia; failing that, to have recourse
to the ballot. The one to whom Macedonia fell was to seek redress by force
of arms from Perseus, and those of his party, unless they gave satisfaction to
Rome. Four fresh legions were to be called up, two for each consul. A
special provision was made for Macedonia. For the other consul each of the
two legions consisted, according to ancient precedent, of 5200 infantry;
those for Macedonia were each raised to 6000 infantry, and the four legions
had each the same complement of 300 cavalry. The numbers of the allied
contingent were also raised for this consul; he was to transport to
Macedonia 16,000 infantry and 800 cavalry, in addition to the 600 cavalry
whom Sicinius had commanded. A force of 12,000 allied infantry and 600
cavalry was considered sufficient for Italy. The consul who was to command
in Macedonia was specially empowered to enrol as many veteran centurions
and private soldiers as he desired up to fifty years of age. In view of the
Macedonian war, an innovation was made this year in the case of the military
tribunes. The consuls received instructions from the senate to propose to the
Assembly that they should for that year forgo their claim to elect the military
tribunes and leave the consuls and praetors free to appoint them. The
commands were allocated to the praetors as follows: The praetor to whose
lot it fell to be at the senate's disposal without an assigned province was to
inspect the crews in the fleet at Brundisium, and after removing all who were
unfit for service, to select freedmen to take their place, with the proviso that
two-thirds should consist of Roman citizens, the remainder to be drawn from
the allies. Supplies for the fleet and the legions were to be furnished by Sicily
and Sardinia, and the praetors in charge of those islands were charged to
requisition a second tenth from the natives, the corn to be carried to the
army in Macedonia. Sicily fell to C. Caninius Rebilus; Sardinia to L. Furius
Philus; Spain to L. Canuleius; the civic jurisdiction to C. Sulpicius Galba; the
alien to L. Villius Annalis. The praetor who remained at the disposal of the
senate was C. Lucretius Gallus.