CALIGA,
a Boot or Buskin, a sort of Shoes that were worn by a common Roman Soldier in time of War, from whence the Word Caligatus comes to signifie a common Soldier: And thus we must understand that Passage of Suetonius, in the Life of Augustus, Coronas murales sape etiam cali∣gatis tribuit, that he often gave the Mural Coro∣net to common Soldiers who first scal'd the Walls of the Enemies Cities; and also that Proverb which Seneca uses, speaking of Marius, that from a common Soldier he arrived at the Consulship, à caligâ ad consulatum pervenisse: Thus Agrippina caused her Son Caius to be nam'd Caligula, be∣cause he being born in the Army, she caused him to wear these Buskins like a common Soldier, to gain their Good-will by this Complaisance.
These sort of Shoes came up as high as the Middle of the Leg, and had at the Top the Fi∣gure of the Head of a Lion or Leopard, or only of the Muzzle of these Animals: It was garnish'd with little Nails of Iron, and sometimes even of Gold and Silver, and had a Sole of Wood. There was a Fund set apart for providing these Nails for the Soldiers, which was called Clava∣rium, and the Officers that distributed it were called Clavarii, of which Number was the Father of Suetonius.
The Soldiers did very often desire of the Em∣perors the Clavarium, i. e. the Money of this Fund, for buying Nails to adorn their Shoes; so they did of Vitellius according to the Relation of Tacitus, in L. 3. of his History.
Justin tells us, that all the Soldiers of Antio∣chus's Army caused their Buskins to be adorn'd with Nails of God, Argenti certè aurique tan∣tùm, ut etiam gregarii milites caligas auro suf∣figerent.