ng to Dureau de la Malle is equal to about $3,155,
$2,333, $1,555, $800, and $388. The sixth class, the proletarians,
consisted of those who possessed less and were exempt from military
service and taxes. In this new assembly of centuriae (comitia
centuriata) the citizens formed ranks after the manner of soldiers, in
companies of one hundred (centuria), and every centuria had one vote.
Now the first class placed 80 centuriae in the field; the second 22, the
third 20, the fourth 22, the fifth 30 and the sixth, for propriety's
sake, one. To this were added 18 centuriae of horsemen composed of the
most wealthy. Hence, there were 193 centuriae, giving a lowest majority
vote of 97. Now the horsemen and the first class alone had together 98
votes. Being in the majority, they had only to agree, and they could
pass any resolution without asking the consent of the other classes.

This new assembly of centuriae assumed all the political rights of the
former assembly of curiae, a few nominal privileges excepted. The curiae
and the gentes composing them now were degraded to mere private and
religious congregations, analogous to their Attic prototypes, and as
such they vegetated on for a long time. But the assembly of curiae soon
became obsolete. In order to drive also the three old tribes out of
existence, a system of four local tribes was introduced. Every tribe was
assigned to one quarter of the city and received certain political
rights.

Thus the old social order of blood kinship was destroyed also in Rome
even before the abolition of the so-called royalty. A new constitution,
founded on territorial division and difference of wealth took its place
and virtually created the state. The public power of coercion consisted
here of citizens liable to military duty, to be used against the slaves
and the so-called proletarians who were excluded from military service
and general armament.

After the expulsion of the last rex, Tarquinius Superbus, who had really
usurped royal power, the new constitution was further improved by the
institution of two military leaders (consuls) with equal powers,
analogous to the custom of the Iroquois. The whole history of the Roman
republic moves inside of this constitution: the struggles between
patricians and plebs for admission to office and participation in the
allotment of state lands, the merging of the patrician nobility in the
new class of large property and money owners; the gradual absorption