utility of the agrarian laws against which it had so long protested.  Indeed, it justified the propositions of the first author of an agrarian law by admitting to a share in the conquered lands the Latin allies who had so often contributed to their growth.  This is the last agrarian law which Livy mentions.  The Persian war broke out in this year, and an account of it fills the remaining books of this author which have come down to us.  However, prior to the proposition of Tiberius Gracchus, we find in Varro[20] the mention of a new assignment of land of seven jugera viritim, made by a tribune named Licinius in the year 144; but the author has given such a meagre mention of it that we are unable to determine where these lands were located.  If we join to these facts the cession of public territories to the creditors of the state, in 200, we shall have mentioned all agrarian laws and distributions of territory which took place before the lex Sempronia Tiberiana in 133.

Condition of the Country at the time of the Gracchan Rogations. During the period between 367 and 133 we find no record of serious disputes between the patricians and commons.  Indeed, the senate usually took the lead in popular measures; lands were assigned without any demand on the part of the plebeians.  We must not be deceived by this seeming harmony.  In the midst of this apparent calm a radical change was taking place in Roman society.  It is necessary for us to understand this new condition of affairs in the republic before it will be possible to comprehend the rogations of the Gracchi.

One of the greatest dangers to the republic at this time reveals itself in the claims[21] of the Italians.  These people had poured out their blood for Rome; they had contributed more than the Romans themselves to the accomplishing of those rapid conquests which, after the subjugation of Italy, quickly extended the power of Rome.  In what way had they been rewarded?  After the terrible devastations which afflicted Italy in the Hannibalic war had ceased, the Italian allies found themselves ruined.  Whilst Latium, which contained the principal part of the old tribes of citizens, had suffered comparatively little, a large portion of Samnium, Apulia, Campania, and more particularly of Lucania and Bruttium, was almost depopulated; and the Romans in punishing the unfaithful “allies” had acted with ruthless cruelty.[22] When at length peace was concluded, large districts were uncultivated and uninhabited.  This territory, being either confiscated from the allies for taking part with Hannibal, or deserted by the colonists, swelled the ager publicus of Rome, and was either given to veterans[23] or occupied by Roman capitalists, thus increasing the revenues of a few nobles.