going into public; and that
the prisoners should be kept bound with fetters, of not less than
ten pounds weight, and confined in no other place of custody than the
common jail.

[Footnote 1: 322l. 18s. 4d.]

[Footnote 2: 80l. 14s. 7d.]

27. In this year, ambassadors from king Attalus made an offering, in
the Capitol, of a golden crown of two hundred and fifty-six pounds'
weight, and returned thanks to the senate, because Antiochus,
influenced by the authority of the Romans, had withdrawn his troops
out of the territories of Attalus. During the same summer, two hundred
horsemen, ten elephants, and two hundred thousand pecks of wheat,
arrived from king Masinissa for the army in Greece. From Sicily also,
and Sardinia, large supplies of provisions were sent, with clothing
for the troops. Sicily was then governed by Marcus Marcellus, Sardinia
by Marcus Porcius Cato, a man of acknowledged integrity and purity
of conduct, but deemed too severe in punishing usury. He drove the
usurers entirely out of the island; and restricted or abolished the
contributions, usually paid by the allies, for maintaining the dignity
of the praetors. The consul, Sextus Aelius, coming home from Gaul to
Rome to hold the elections, elected consuls, Caius Cornelius Cethegus
and Quintus Minucius Rufus. Two days after was held the election
of praetors; and this year, for the first time, six praetors were
appointed, in consequence of the increase of the provinces, and the
extension of the bounds of the empire. The persons elected were,
Lucius Manlius Vulso, Caius Sempronius Tuditanus, Marcus Sergius
Silus, Marcus Helvius, Marcus Minucius Rufus, and Lucius Atilius. Of
these Sempronius and Helvius were, at the time, plebeian aediles. The
curule aediles were Quintus Minucius Thermus and Tiberius Sempronius
Longus. The Roman games were four times repeated during this year.

28. On Caius Cornelius and Quintus Minucius becoming consuls, the
first business of all was the arrangement of the provinces of the
consuls and praetors. Those of the praetors were the first settled,
because that could be transacted by the lots. The city jurisdiction
fell to Sergius; the foreign to Minucius; Atilius obtained Sardinia;
Manlius, Sicily; Sempronius, the Hither Spain; and Helvius, the
Farther. When the consuls were preparing to cast lots for Italy and
Macedonia, Lucius Oppius and Quintus Fulvius, plebeian tribunes, stood
in their way, alleging, that "Macedonia was a very