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The idea of the Principate did not just leap out of Octavian's head.
然而他并没有马上就产生元首制的概念。
In fact it took years for Octavian to work out and negotiate with the Roman people.
事实上，屋大维用了几年时间想出这一点并且和罗马人民协商一致。
In 27 BC Octavian made a great show of restoring to the senate the Roman republic.
在公元前27年，屋大维表演了一出大戏，就是恢复罗马共和国的元老院。
In return the senate voted him Major Proconsular Imperium over any province containing Roman troops.
实际上元老院选举他为任何有罗马军队的行省的地方总督统治者。
This gave Octavian permanent legal control over what was already his personal client army.
这就使得屋大维取得了当时已经是他私人军队的合法控制权。
He also received the name Imperator Augustus Caesar which he used for the rest of his life
他还接受了奥古斯都·凯撒皇帝这个名字，他余下的一生都在用这个名字，
in 23 BC, Augustus as history knows him best also received lifetime tribunitian powers
在公元前23年 奥古斯都接受了终生的护民权利，
which gave him formal veto power over everything and scored him points with the urban mob.
这使他对一切事物都有着合法的否决权，让他在城市人中获得更多的支持。
When pretty boy Lepidus died in 12 BC Augustus was elected Pontifex Maximus.
公元前12年漂亮男孩雷必达去世，奥古斯都被选为最高祭司。
Now that he held supreme military, secular and religious power Augustus was literally the Pater Familias of all Rome.
现在他拥有了最高军权至于世俗和宗教权利，奥古斯都几乎是所有罗马人的大家长。
Still he observed strictly the demands of the Mos Majorum in his role as Princeps, or Rome's first man.
作为罗马的元首，他还严格地遵守罗马传统规范的要求，
The annual elections continued as before, the legislative assemblies met as before,
每年的选举照旧进行，立法议会照进进行，
the senatorial class accepted Proconsulships
元老阶层接受了总督，
and the Equestrian class continued to get rich thanks to its special relationship with the Princeps.
骑士阶层继续受益于和元首的特殊关系。
The masses were impressed with Augustus' generosity and with Rome's reputation as the world power, pure and simple.
大众深深铭记住奥古斯都的宽宏大量，也记住了罗马的声望，世界强国，无暇，淳朴。
It was all a facade of course,
当然这只是表面
publicized by Augustus' building program and by his government supported poets
是由奥古斯都和他的政府宣扬的构建计划，
and backed up by a 150 000 veteran legionnaires stationed around the Roman world.
由150000名老兵驻扎在罗马世界边境做为后备支持。
Yet almost all Romans preferred this facade to the century of chaos Rome endured before Augustus took charge.
然而相比奥古斯都执政前罗马世界的混乱，大多数罗马人更喜欢现在的局面。
Augustus was careful to allow the senate power in name only.
奥古斯都小心地让元老院有名无实。
The magister seats became more and more empty honours;
教师的席位逐渐成了一个虚名；
while actual government business was handled by hand picked members of the Equestrian class.
而实际上政府事务掌握在精心挑选的骑士阶层手中。
The senatorial class ran only those provinces, which had no troops.
元老阶层只能管辖自己的行省，并且没有军队。
The other provinces were called Imperial and governed by Equestrian leggings
其他的行省是罗马帝国的拥护者，由骑士掌管，
while the armies themselves were commanded by Augustus' own hand picked generals who were usually members of the Caesar family.
而他们的军队则控制在奥古斯都手中挑选出的将军一般都是凯撒家族的。
