s who used him, or were influenced by him, shrank from his side
when they saw him follow to their logical issue the principles which
they had advocated either for selfish objects or only theoretically.

[Sidenote: Main object of Drusus to aid the Italians.] Whether this is
the true view of the character and position of Drusus or not, we may
feel sure that he was in earnest in his advocacy of Italian interests,
and that this was the main object of his reforms. [Sidenote: Sops to
the mob: Depreciation of the coinage. Colonies. Corn-law.] To silence
the mob at Rome, he slightly depreciated the coinage so as to relieve
debtors, established some colonies--perhaps those promised by his
father--and carried some law for distributing cheap grain. [Sidenote:
Sop to the senate and equites.] Senators like Scaurus he courted by
handing over the judicia once more to the Senate, while, by admitting
300 equites to the Senate, he hoped to compensate them for the wound
which he thus inflicted on their material interests and their pride.
The body thus composed was to try cases of judices accused of taking
bribes. But the Senate scorned and yet feared the threatened invasion
by which it would be severed into two antagonistic halves. The
equites left behind were jealous of the equites promoted; and where
Drusus hoped to conciliate both classes, he only drew down their
united animosity upon himself. Even in Italy his plans were not
unanimously approved. Occupiers of the public land, who had never
yet been disturbed in their occupation--such as those who held the
Campanian domain land--were alarmed by this plan of colonisation,
which not only called in question once more their right of tenure,
but even appropriated their land. But though the large land-owners
were adverse to him, the great mass of the Italians was on his side;
and it was by their help that he carried the first three of his laws,
which he shrewdly included in one measure. Thus those who wanted land
or grain were constrained to vote for the changes in the judicia
also. But, as there was a law expressly forbidding this admixture of
different measures in one bill, he left an opening for his opponents
of which they soon took advantage. [Sidenote: Philippus opposes
Drusus.] Chief of these opponents was the consul Philippus. When the
Italians crowded into Rome to support Drusus, which they would do by
overawing voters at the ballot-boxes, by recording fictitious votes,
and by escort