the Roman nobles growing insolent from causes which shall be noticed
hereafter, the commons against them, when, not to lose the whole of
their power, they were forced to concede a share to the people; while
with the share which remained, the senate and consuls retained so much
authority that they still held their own place in the republic. In this
way the tribunes of the people came to be created, after whose creation
the stability of the State was much augmented, since each the three
forms of government had now its due influence allowed it. And such was
the good fortune of Rome that although her government passed from the
kings to the nobles, and from these to the people, by the steps and for
the reasons noticed above, still the entire authority of the kingly
element was not sacrificed to strengthen the authority of the nobles,
nor were the nobles divested of their authority to bestow it on the
commons; but three, blending together, made up a perfect State; which
perfection, as shall be fully shown in the next two Chapters, was
reached through the dissensions of the commons and the senate.



CHAPTER III.--Of the Accidents which led in Rome to the creation of
Tribunes of the People; whereby the Republic was made more perfect.

They who lay the foundations of a State and furnish it with laws must,
as is shown by all who have treated of civil government, and by examples
of which history is full, assume that 'all men are bad, and will always,
when they have free field, give loose to their evil inclinations; and
that if these for a while remain hidden, it is owing to some secret
cause, which, from our having no contrary experience, we do not
recognize at once, but which is afterwards revealed by Time, of whom we
speak as the father of all truth.