Of the forces that lay behind or beyond it, next to the noble families the knights were the most important. […] Gabinius and Piso in their turn received important military provinces, Syria and Macedonia, through special laws. […] More important the business in hand: it was expedited in swift and arbitrary fashion. […] Cato (Tacitus, Dial. 34, 7), not, however an important person. […] Salvidienus was the elder and the more important of the two, cf.