could remain in office after their terms expired, whether there were any successors elected or not to come after them.  The commonwealth remained without any military tribunes or consuls at its head, although the vacant places were finally filled by one interrex after another, appointed by the senate to keep up the name of government and to hold the elections the moment the tribunes withdrew their vetoes, or left their office.  At the close of the year Licinius and Sextius were both re-elected but with colleagues on the side of their antagonists.  Some time afterwards it became necessary to let the other elections proceed.  War was threatening,[11] and in order to go to the assistance of their allies Licinius and Sextius withdrew their vetoes and ceased their opposition for a time.  Six military tribunes were chosen, three from the liberal and three from the illiberal patricians.  The liberals doubtless received all the votes of the plebeians as they had no candidates.  They had in all probability abstained from running for an office, bills for the abolition of which were held in abeyance.  They showed increasing inclination to sustain Licinius and his colleague, both by re-electing them year after year and by at length choosing three other tribunes with them in favor of the bills.  The prospects of the measure were further brightened by the election of Fabius Ambustus, the father-in-law of Licinius and his zealous supporter, to the military[12] tribunate.  This seems to have been the seventh year following the proposal of the bills.  This can not be definitely determined, however.  During this long period of struggle, Licinius had learned something.  It was constantly repeated[13] in his hearing that not a plebeian in the whole estate was fit to take the part in the auspices and the religious ceremonies incumbent upon the consuls.  The same objections had overborne the exertions of Caius Canuleius three-quarters of a century before.  Licinius saw that the only way to defeat this argument was by opening to the plebeians the honorable office of duumvirs, whose duty and privilege it was[14] to consult the Sibyline books for the instruction of the people in every season of doubt and peril.  They were, moreover, the presiding officers of the festival of Apollo, to whose inspirations the holy books of the Sibyl were ascribed, and were looked up to with honor and respect.  This he did by setting forth an additional bill, proposing the election of decemvirs.[15] The passage of this bill would forever put to rest one question at least.  Could he be a decemvir, he could also be a consul.  This bill was joined to the other three which were biding their time.  The strife went on.  The opposing tribunes interposed their vetoes.  Finally it seems that all the offices of tribune were filled with partisans of Licinius, and the bills were likely to pass when Camillus, the dictator, swelling with wrath against bills, tribes and tribunes,[16] came