“The eye of the orator, who spoke from the tribune, looked down upon the city which was spread out before him like a map.”

“An inscription on one of the dishes shows Marcellianus to have been a tribune, a unit commander or staff officer.”

“He contrived to be adopted by an obscure plebeian, so that he could be elected tribune of the plebs.”

“When the term of his tribuneship expired, Tiberius presented himself for re-election.”

“Tiberius next filled up the vacant tribuneship by getting one of his own dependents put into the office.”

“In 123 he stood for the tribuneship and was a second time elected in the following year.”

“Between the years 133 and 70 B.C.E., the tribunate was used by a number of men for reforms.”

“Because the tribunate was a largely honorific function, this was a remarkable sign of devotion to duty.”

“Other magistracies, the aedileship and the tribunate of the plebs, might be held between quaestorship and praetorship, but were not obligatory.”

“Offices required popular election, and tribunes represented a plebeian constituency.”

“Finally the republic was torn to pieces by rival power-hungry tribunes or dictators like Pompey, Sulla, and Julius Caesar.”

“Severe penalties were to be inflicted on those harming the tribunes or other plebeian officers.”