Romanæ historiæ anthologia An English exposition of the Romane antiquities, wherein many Romane and English offices are paralleld and divers obscure phrases explained. By Thomas Godwyn Master of Arts: for the vse of Abingdon Schoole.

CHAP. 18.

De Ambitu.

THose lawes were tearmed Leges de Ambitu, which were made against vndirect or vnlawfull courses v∣sed in canvasses for offices.

Fabia de Ambitu.

This lex Fabia restrained the number of those poore mē who because they were wont to follow vp & downe, & all the day to attend such as did stand for offices, were thence called Sectatores.

Acilia Calpurnia.

M. Acilius Glabrio,* 1.1 and C. Calpurnius Piso, being Con∣suls, made a law, that such as were convinced of sinister and vndirect meanes vsed in their canvasses, should be fined at a certaine summe of money set on their heads, & they should be made both vncapeable of bearing office, and vneligible into a Senators place.

Senatus-consultum de Ambitu.

M. Tullius Cic. and C. Antonius being Consuls, a certaine decree was made by the Senate,* 1.2 that if such as did either salute or attend vpon those that stood for offices, were hi∣red by any manner of reward; or if any publike prizes were occasioned to be plaid; or any publike feasts made by thē, they should be liable to the censure of Calpurnius his law.

Tullia lex.

M. Tullius Cic. made a law, that no man standing for an office should cause any publike prize to bee plaid, within two yeares that he either had stood, or should stand for an office, vnlesse the day had formerly beene appointed by some will. Item he ordained, that Senatours being found to haue vsed vnlawfull meanes for the attaining of any office,* 1.3 should suffer ten yeares exilement. And the commonaltie offending in that point, should bee punished with an hea∣vier punishment, then the law made by Calpurnius la••ed on them. An addition vnto this was, that if any being cited to his answere in the court for his vndirect meanes, Si morbū excusaret .i. If hee did vrge his sicknesse for his not appea∣rance, then should he vndergoe a penaltie.

Si morbum excusaret.] So that Tully here seemeth to cut of that libertie which the twelue tables permitted in these words [Si Iudex alteruè ex litigatoribus morbo sontico impe∣diatur,

iudicij dies diffisus esto] .i. If either Iudge, Plaintiffe, or Defendant were sick, they should diffindere diem. .i.d 1.4 pro∣ferre & in aliud tempus reijcere, proroge the time of iudge∣ment. And vnlesse some might thinke, that by morbus sonti∣cus was meant some strange disease, Sigonius inferreth that every disease is tearmed Sonticus, which hindreth vs in the performance of our businesses: Sontes enim nocentes dicunt.

Licinia de Sodalitijs.

M. Licinius. Crassus being Consul,* 1.5 perswaded vt in So∣dalitijs Iudices ab accusatore ex tribubus ederentur.

Sodalitia.] In the later times the Romanes in their can∣vasses would gather together a certaine company of their side or faction to follow them, tearming them Sodales: & these Sodales would as it were by violence force the peo∣ple to suffrage with them, whence the violence offered by them was tearmed Sodalitia. Sig. de Iud. lib. 2. cap. 30.

Iudices ab accusatore ederentur ex tribubus.] Wee may read of three sorts of Iudges among the Romanes, or rather of three divers kinds of elections of their Iudges. For ei∣ther they were Lecti sortitione, of which more may be seen in one of the lawes following; or Editione, by nomina∣tion or naming them, the manner thereof being thus; That either the plaintiffe should choose them all, and then were they called Iudices edititij; or the plaintiffe should choose one halfe, and the defendant the other, and then were they called Iudices alterni. Melancthon in Cic. pro Muraen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cic. pro Mur.
• * 1.2

  Cic. pro Mur.
• * 1.3

  Cic. pro Sext▪
• d 1.4

  Sig. de iud. lib. 1. cap. 28.
• * 1.5

  Cic. pro Plā∣cio.