The Roman Republic possessed an extraordinary institute reserved for emergencies. It was limited to six months, during which the appointed dictator enjoyed considerable powers. It was used sporadically during the course of two centuries. Eventually, it had to be formally abolished after Sulla and Caesar each enacted special laws to make themselves special dictators in perpetuity. Despite its abolition, Clinton Rossiter, of Cornell University, praised it for its positive potential when in the hands of “men of good sense and goodwill”. But Giovanni Bonello reminds us that “anything meant for gentlemen has the habit of being taken advantage of when it falls into the hands of scoundrels”.