The influence of the senate on this apportionment of functions consisted in its having by use and wont the power of either giving effect to the ordinary rule--so that the six praetors allotted among themselves the six special departments and the consuls managed the continental non-judicial business--or prescribing some deviation from it; it might assign to the consul a transmarine command of especial importance at the moment, or include an extraordinary military or judicial commission--such as the command of the fleet or an important criminal inquiry--among the departments to be distributed, and might arrange the further cumulations and extensions of term thereby rendered necessary.

In this case, however, it was simply the demarcation of the respective consular and praetorian functions on each occasion which belonged to the senate, not the designation of the persons to assume the particular office; the latter uniformly took place by agreement among the magistrates concerned or by lot.

The burgesses in the earlier period were doubtless resorted to for the purpose of legitimising by special decree of the community the practical prolongation of command that was involved in the non-arrival of relief;( 25) but this was required rather by the spirit than by the letter of the constitution, and soon the burgesses ceased from intervention in the matter.

In the course of the seventh century there were gradually added to the six special departments already existing six others, viz.

the five new governorships of Macedonia, Africa, Asia, Narbo, and Cilicia, and the presidency of the standing commission respecting exactions.( 26) With the daily extending sphere of action of the Roman government, moreover, it was a case of more and more frequent occurrence, that the supreme magistrates were called to undertake extraordinary military or judicial commissions.
Nevertheless the number of the ordinary supreme annual magistrates was not enlarged; and there thus devolved on eight magistrates to be annually nominated--apart from all else--at least twelve special departments to be annually occupied.