other powers used to be conferred on the Emperors in the beginning of their reign, or upon other solemn occasions; and then they were said to be Tribunitiâ potestate donati, Capitol. in M. Anton.-Vopisc. in Tacit. (see p. 25.) Hence also the years of their government were called the years of their tribunitian power, Dio. liii. 17. which are found often marked on ancient coins: computed not from the first of January, nor from the 10th of December, (iv. Id. Dec.) the day on which the tribunes entered on their office; but from the day on which they assumed the empire.

The tribunes, however, still continued to be elected, although they retained only the shadow of their former power, (inanem umbram et sine honore nomen), Plin. Ep. i. 23. Paneg. 10, and 95. Tacit. 1.77. xiii. 28. and seem to have remained to the time of Constantine, who abolished this with other ancient offices.

V. ÆDILES.

THE Ediles were named from their care of the buildings, (a cura ædium).

The Ediles were either plebeian or curule.

Two EDILES PLEBEII were first created, A. U. 260, in the Comitia Curiata, at the same time with the tribunes of the commons to be as it were their assistants, and to determine certain lesser causes, which the tribunes committed to them, Dionys. vi. 9o. They were afterwards created, as the other inferior magistrates, at the Comitia Tributa.

Two ÆDILES CURULES were created from the patricians, A. U. 387, to perform certain public games, Liv. vi. 42. They were first chosen alternately from the patricians and plebeians, but afterwards promiscuously from both, Liv. vii. 1. at the Comitia Tributa, Gell. vi. 9.

The curule ædiles wore the toga prætexta, had the right of images, and a more honourable place of giving their opinion in the senate, Cic. Verr. v. 14. They used the sella curulis when they administered justice, whence they had their name, ib. Whereas the plebeian ædiles sat on benches, Ascon. in Cic. but they were inviolable, (SACROSANCTI), as the tribunes, Festus, Liv. iii. 55.

The office of the ædiles was to take care of the city, Cic. de Legg. iii. 3. its public buildings, temples, theatres, baths, ba

5

silica,

silica, porticos, aquæducts, common-sewers, public roads, &c. especially when there were no censors: also of private buildings, lest they should become ruinous, and deform the city, or occasion danger to passengers. They likewise took care of provisions, markets, taverns, &c. They inspected those things which were exposed to sale in the Forum; and if they were not good, they caused them to be thrown into the Tiber, Plaut. Rud. ii. 3. 42. They broke unjust weights and measures, Juvenal. x. 101. They limited the expences of funerals, Cic. Phil. ix. 7. Ovid. Fast. vi. 663. They restrained the avarice of usurers, Liv. x. 37. They fined or banished women of bad character, after being condemned by the senate or people, Tacit. Ann. ii. 85. Liv. x. 31. xxv. 2. They took care that no new gods or religious ceremonies were introduced, Liv. iv. 30. They punished not only petulant actions, but even words, Gell. x. 6.

The ædiles took cognizance of these things, proposed edicts concerning them, Plaut.Capt. iv. 2.v. 43. and fined delinquents.

The ædiles had neither the right of summoning nor of seizing, unless by the order of the tribunes; nor did they use lictors or viatores, but only public slaves. Gell. xiii. 12. They might even be sued at law, (in jus vocari), by a private peribid. 13.

son,

It belonged to the ædiles, particularly the curule ædiles, to exhibit public solemn games, Liv. xxiv. 43. xxvii. 6. which they sometimes did at a prodigious expence, to pave the way for future preferments, Cic. Off. ii. 16. They examined the plays which were to be brought on the stage, and rewarded or punished the actors as they deserved, Plaut. Trin. iv. 2. 148. Cist. Epil. 3. They were bound by oath to give the palm to the most deserving, Id. Amphit. Prol. 72. Agrippa, when ædile under Augustus, banished all jugglers (præstigiatores) and astrologers, Dio. xlix. 43.

It was peculiarly the office of the plebeian ædiles to keep the decrees of the senate, and the ordinances of the people, in the temple of Ceres, and afterwards in the treasury, Liv. iii. 55:

Julius Cæsar added two other ædiles, called CEREALES, (a Cerere), to inspect the public stores of corn and other provisions, Suet. Jul. 41. Dio. xliii. 51.

The free towns also had their ædiles, Juv. iii. 179. where sometimes they were the only magistrates, as at Arpinum, Cic. Fam. xiii. 11.

The

The ædiles seem to have continued, but with some variations, to the time of Constantine.

VI. QUESTORS.

THE Quæstors were so called, (a quærendo), because they got in the public revenues, (publicas pecunias conquirebant), Varro de L. L. iv. 14.

The institution of quæstors seems to have been nearly as ancient as the city itself. They were first appointed by the kings, according to Tacitus, Annal. xi. 22. And then by the consuls, to the year 307, when they began to be elected by the people, at the Comitia Tributa, Cic. Fam. vi. 30.

Others

say, that the two quæstors were created by the people from among the patricians, soon after the expulsion of Tarquin, to take care of the treasury, according to a law passed by Valerius Poplicola, Plutarch. in Poplic. Dionys. v. 34.

In the year 333, besides the two city quæstors, two others were created to attend the consuls in war, (ut consulibus ad ministeria belli præsto essent); and from this time the quæstors might be chosen indifferently from the plebeians and patricians, Liv. iv. 43. After all Italy was subdued, four more were added, A. U. 498, about the same time that the coining of silver was first introduced at Rome, Liv. Epit. xv. Sylla encreased their number to 20, (supplendo senatui, cui judicia tradiderat), Tacit. Ann. xi. 22. and Julius Cæsar to 40, Dion, xliii. 47. Under the Emperors their number was uncertain and arbitrary.

Two quæstors only remained at Rome, and were called QUÆSTORES URBANI; the rest, PROVINCIALES or MILITARES.

The principal charge of the city quaestors was the care of the treasury, which was kept in the temple of Saturn, Suet. Claud. 24. Plut. Quæst. Rom. 40. They received and expended the public money, and entered an account of their receipts and disbursements, (in tabulas accepti et expensi referebant), Ascon. in Cic. They exacted the fines imposed by the public, Liv. xxxviii. 60. Tacit. Ann. xiii. 28. The money thus raised was called ARGENTUM MULTATITIUM, Liv. xxx. 39.

The quæstors kept the military standards in the treasury,

(which were generally of silver, Plin. xxxiii. 3. s. 19. sometimes of gold, for the Romans did not use colours, (non velis utebantur), and brought them out to the consuls when going upon an expedition, Liv. iii. 69. iv. 22. vii. 23. They entertained foreign ambassadors, provided them with lodgings, and delivered to them the presents of the public, Valer. Max. V. 1. They took care of the funerals of those who were buried at the public expence, as Menenius Agrippa, Dionys. vi. fin. Sulpicius, Cic. Phil. ix. 7. They exercised a certain jurisdiction, especially among their clerks, Plut.in Cat. Min.

Commanders returning from war, before they could obtain a triumph, were obliged to swear before the quæstors, that they had written to the senate a true account of the number of the enemy they had slain, and of the citizens that were missing, Valer. Max. ii. 8.

The provinces of the quæstors were annually distributed to them by lot, Cic. pro Mur. 8. after the senate had determined into what provinces quæstors should be sent. Whence SORS is often put for the office or appointment of a quæstor, Cic. Verr. i. 15. Cæcil. 14. Fam. ii. 19. as of other magistrates, Id. Verr. A&t. i. 8. Planc. 27. Liv. xxxv. 6. and public officers, Cic. Cat. iv. 7. or for the condition of any one, Horat. Sat. i. 1, Ep. i. 14. 11 Suet. Aug. 19. Some times a certain province was given to a particular quæstor by the senate or people, Liv. xxx. 33. But Pompey chose Cassius as his quæestor, and Cæsar chose Antony, of themselves, (sine sorte), Cic. Att. vi. 6. Cic. Phil. ii. 20.

The office of the provincial quæstors was to attend the consuls or prætors into their provinces; to take care that provisions and pay were furnished to the army; to keep the money deposited by the soldiers (nummos ad signa depositos), Suet. Dom. 8. Veget. ii. 20. to exact the taxes and tribute of the empire, Cic. in Verr. i. 14. & 38, to take care of the money and to sell the spoils taken in war, Liv. v. 26, xxvi. 47. Plaut. Bacch. iv. 9. v. 153. Polyb. x. 19. to return an account of every thing to the treasury; and to exercise the jurisdic tion assigned them by their governors, Cic. Divin. in Cæcil. 17. Suet. Jul. 7. When the governor left the province, the quæstor usually supplied his place, Cic. ad Fam. ii. 15. & 18.

There subsisted the closest connection between a proconsul or proprætor and his quæstor, (in parentum loco quæstoribus suis erant), Cic. pro Planc. 11. Divinat. in Cæcil. 19. ad Fam. xiii. 10. 26. Plin. Ep. iv. 15. If a quæstor died, another

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was appointed by the governor in his room, called PROQUÆSTOR, Cic. in Verr. i. 15. & 36.

The place in the camp where the quæstor's tent was, and where he kept his stores, was called QUÆSTORIUM, or Questorium forum, Liv. x. 32. xli. 2. so also the place in the province, where he kept his accounts and transacted business, Cic. pro Planc. 41.

The city quæstor had neither lictors nor viatores, because they had not the power of summoning or apprehending, Gell. xiii. 12. and might be prosecuted by a private person before the prætor, ibid. 13. Suet. Jul. 23. They could, however, hold the Comitia; and it seems to have been a part of their office in ancient times to prosecute those guilty of treason, and punish them when condemned, Dionys. viii. 77. Liv. ii. 41. 11. 24, 25.

The provincial quæstors were attended by lictors, at least in the absence of the prætor, Cic. pro Planc. 41. and by clerks, Cic. in Verr. iii. 78.

The quæstorship was the first step of preferment, (primus gradus honoris), Cic. in Verr. i. 4. which gave one admission into the senate, Cic. (see p. 4.) when he was said adire ad rempublicam, Cic. or rempublicam capessere, Vel. ii. 94. It was, however, sometimes held by those who had been consuls, Dionys. x. 23. Liv. iii. 25.

Under the emperors the quæstorship underwent various changes. A distinction was introduced between the treasury of the public (ÆRARIUM) and the treasury of the prince, (FISCUS) Suet. Aug. 102. Tacit. Annal. vi. 2. Plin. Pan. 36. Dio. liii. 16. and different officers were appointed for the management of each.

Augustus took from the quæstors the charge of the treasury, and gave it to the prætors, or those who had been prætors, Suet. Aug. 36. Tacit. Ann. xiii. 28. Dio. liii. 2. but Claudius restored it to the quæstors, Suet. Claud. 14. Afterwards præfects of the treasury seem to have been appointed, Plin. Epist. iii. 4. Tacit. Annal. xiii. 28, & 29.

Those who had borne the quæstorship used to assemble the judges, called centumviri, and preside at their courts; but Augustus appointed that this should be done by the DECEMVIRI litibus judicandis, Suet. Aug. 36. The questors also chose the judices, Dio. xxxix. 7. Augustus gave to the quæstors the charge of the public records, which the ædiles, and, as Dion Cassius says, the tribunes had formerly exercised, l. liv.