Claudius first gave the full rights of the city to all the Gauls.

Under Antoninus Rome opened her gates still wider.

All the subjects of the Empire were made partakers of the same common rights.

The provincials flocked in; even slaves were no sooner enfranchised than they were advanced to the highest posts; and the plan of comprehension, which had overturned the republic, strengthened the monarchy.
Before the partitions were thus broken down, in order to support the Empire, and to prevent commotions, they had a custom of sending spies into all the provinces, where, if they discovered any provincial laying himself out for popularity, they were sure of finding means, for they scrupled none, to repress him.

It was not only the praetor, with his train of lictors and apparitors, the rods and the axes, and all the insolent parade of a conqueror's jurisdiction; every private Roman seemed a kind of magistrate: they took cognizance of all their words and actions, and hourly reminded them of that jealous and stern authority, so vigilant to discover and so severe to punish the slightest deviations from obedience.
As they had framed the action _de pecuniis repetundis_ against the avarice and rapacity of the provincial governors, they made at length a law[23] which, one may say, was against their virtues.