nts, the cognizance of such causes as
were of highest importance in that State. The five ephors in Lacedaemon,
which were popular magistrates, might question their kings, as appears
by the cases of Pausanias, and of Agis, who being upon his trial in this
court, was cried to by his mother to appeal to the people, as Plutarch
has it in his life. The tribunes of the people of Rome (like, in the
nature of their magistracy, and for some time in number, to the ephors,
as being, according to Halicarnassus and Plutarch, instituted in
imitation of them) had power to summon any man, his magistracy at least
being expired (for from the Dictator there lay no appeal) to answer for
himself to the people. As in the case of Coriolanus, who was going
about to force the people, by withholding corn from them in a famine,
to relinquish the magistracy of the tribunes, in that of Spurius Cassius
for affecting tyranny, of Marcus Sergius for running away at Veii, of
Caius Lucretius for spoiling his province, of Junius Silanus for making
war without a command from the people against the Cimbri, with divers
others. And the crimes of this nature were called loesoe majestatis,
or high treason. Examples of such as were arraigned or tried for
peculation, or defraudation of the commonwealth, were Marcus Curius
for intercepting the money of the Samnites, Salinator for the unequal
division of spoils to his soldiers, Marcus Posthumius for cheating the
commonwealth by a feigned shipwreck. Causes of these two kinds were of
a more public nature; but the like power upon appeals was also exercised
by the people in private matters, even during the time of the kings, as
in the case of Horatius. Nor is it otherwise with Venice, where the
Doge Loredano was sentenced by the great Council, and Antonio Grimani,
afterward doge, questioned, for that he, being admiral, had suffered the
Turk to take Lepanto in view of his fleet.

"Nevertheless, there lay no appeal from the Roman dictator to the
people; which, if there had, might have cost the commonwealth dear,
when Spurius Melius, affecting empire, circumvented and debauched the
tribunes: whereupon Titus Quintus Cincinnatus was created Dictator, who
having chosen Servilius Ahala to be his lieutenant, or magister equitum,
sent him to apprehend Melius, whom, while he disputed the commands of
the Dictator and implored the aid of the people, Ahala cut off upon
the place. By which example you may see in what cases the dictat