That was tradition, inescapable. […] Ahenobarbus fell in Africa in 82 B.C.: though some versions exculpate Pompeius, there is a contrary tradition. […] The patricians were loyal to tradition without being fettered by caste or principle. […] Tradition affirmed that monarchs of foreign stock had ruled at Rome. […] The restored oligarchy, established by violence and confiscation, perpetuated a narrow tradition.