The Roman constitution was a screen and a sham. […] Elected consuls, Pompeius and Crassus abolished the Sullan constitution (70 B.C.). […] The constitution served the purposes of generals or of demagogues well enough. […] Caesar and his associates in power had thwarted or suspended the constitution for their own ends many times in the past. […] When the tyrant fell and the constitution was restored, would Antonius be strong enough to hold party and government together?