DICTATOR (Lat., from cliclarc. to dictate, froptentative of It) Nay I. In the earliest times. the name of the highest magistrate of the Latin confederation; and in some of the Latin towns the title was continued long after these towns were subjected to the dominion of 'Koine. In the Roman ltepliblic the Dictator was an extraordinary magistrate. irresponsible and en dowed with absolute authority, whose original name was magi.sh r populi. The frequency of crises, or critic-al periods, in the quick. aggressive rrowth of the Roman State, necessitated such an office. The first Dictator ('I'. Lareins or .M. \ was appointed in ti.c. 501. nine years after the expulsion of the Tarquins. According to Livy. the immediate cause of this dictatorship was a formidable war with the Latins. In gen eral no one could be appointed Dictator who had not been previously eonstil, and this condi tion was very rarely dispensed with. It is possible that the Dictator was originally created or elected by the curia-. like the kings; but it is more probable that the Senate passed a decree ordering one of the consuls to name or proelaint (dieerc) a dictator. Originally. of course. the Dictator was a patrieian: the first plebeian who filled the office being :Nlareins Ru tilun :1:1t)),, who was nominated by the plibeian consul. AI. larnas. The dic tatorship could not lawfully be held longer than six months: nor was it ever so. except in the of Sulla and (;tsar, which were altogether peeuliar. It must not la- supposed that 'luring a dictatorship the functions of the other magis trates %%•ne posit ively suspended. The •on.uls
and other regular authorities continued to dis charge their proper ditties. hat in subordination to the direction and command of the Dielator, being for the time simply his officer-. The su periority of his power. when compared with that of the consuls. appears chiefly in these three points: lb- was far more independent of the Senate: he had a more extensive power i-Ittnent. witliont any appeal: and he could not be called to account after his abdication of the dictatorship fur anything he had done during the period of his office. The limits of his power were as follows: Ile could not toneli the treas ury: he could not leave Italy: and he could not ride through Rome on liorsebaek without pre viously obtaining the permission of the people. While the consuls had only twelve lietors, the Dictator was preceded by twenty-four. bearing the s.enres and hiserg. To him also belonged the to Ida cal-Wis. and the toga The last legally elected dictator was M. Junius Pera, who entered on his office uses 216. From this time nom dictators were frequently appointed for the purpose of holding the elections, but even these filially di-appeared (BA:. 202). Hence forth, in critical times. a sort of dictatorial power was conferred on the consuls by the Senate by the well-known formula: the consuls should see to it that the State should receive no damage." This practice rendered the appoint ment of dictators no longer necessary. Consult Monnusen, Romische Ntaatsrceht, ii. 133 loll.