DICTATOR, in the earliest times, was the name of the highest magistrate of the Latin confederation, and in sonic of the Latin towns the title was continued long after these towns were subjected to the dominion of Rome. In the Roman republic the D. was an extraordinary magistrate, irresponsible and endowed with absolute authority, whose original name was magister populi. The frequency of eriso, or critical periods, in the quick, aggressive growth of the Roman state, necessitated such an office. The first D. (T. Larch's or 31. Valerius) was appointed 501 B.C., nine years after the expulsion of the Tarquins. according to Livy, the immediate cause of this dictator ship was a formidable war with the Latins. In general no one could be appointed D. who had not been previously consul, and this condition was very rarely dis pensed with. Niebuhr is of opinion that the D. was originally created or elected by the curite, like the kings, but it is more probable that the senate passed a decree ordering one of the consuls to name or proclaim (dicere) a dictator. Originally, of course, the D. was a patrician; the first plebeian who filled the (Alice being C. Marcius Rutilus, 356 me., who was nominated by the plebeian consul 31. Popillius Ltenas. The dictator ship could not lawfully be held longer then six months, nor was it ever so, except in the cases of Sulla and Cesar, which were altogether peculiar. It must not be supposed that during a dictatorship the functions of the other magistrates were positively suspended.
The consuls and other regular authorities continued to discharge their proper duties, but in subordination to the direction and command of the D.; being for the time simply his officers, The superiority of his power, when compared with that of the consuls, appears chiefly in these three points: be was far more independent of the senate; he had a more extensive power of punishment, without any appeal; and he could not be called to account after his abdication of the dictatorship for anything he had done during the period of his office. The limits of his power were as follows: he could not touch the treasury; he could not leave Italy; and he could not ride through Rome on horseback without previously obtaining the permission of the people. While the con suls had only 12 lictors, the D. was preceded by 24, bearing the secures and fasces. To him also belonged the salt: canals and the toga pratexta. The last legally elected D. was 31. Junius Pent, who entered on his office 210 B.C. From this time nominal dictators were frequently appointed for the purpose of holding the elections, but even these finally disappeared, 202 n.c. Henceforth, in critical times, a sort of dictatorial power was conferred on the consuls by the senate by the well-known formula: "That the consuls should see to it, that the state should receive no damage." This practice rendered the appointment of dictators no longer necessary.