Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

990 REX. REX.
Its Latin names are found in the passages of Vir- finite scheme, or writtell code, but from the forceof
gil's Georgics, and of the Vulgate Bible above re- traditionary usage, and the natural influence of the
ferred to, in Plautus, Asinar. i. 1. 87, Truc. i. 1. circumstances in which the kings were placed, susr14; and in Isid. Hisp. Orig. xix. 5. rounded as they were by a body of chiefs or nobles,
The English term sean (which is also in the whose power was but little inferior to that of the
south of Englanid pronounced and spelt seine, as in kings themselves. Even the title P3as-l,2es is upFrench), has been brought into our language by a plied to them, as well as to the king (Homn. 11. ii.
corruption of the Greek o-aytv7 through the Vul- 86, Od. i. 394, vii. 55, viii. 391). The maingate Bible (saqena) and the Anglo-Saxon. (Ezek. tenance of regal authority doubtless depended
xxvi. 5,14, xlvii. 10; St. Matt. xiii. 47,48; St. John greatly on the possession of personal superiority in
xxi. 6-1 1.) This net, which, as now used both bravery, military prowess, wisdom in council and
by the Arabians and by our own fishermen in eloquence in debate. When old age had blunted
Cornwall, is sometimes half a mile long, was pro- his powers and activity, a king ran a great chance
bably of equal dimensions among the ancients, for of losing his inhfience. (Od. xi. 496; comp. Ii.
they speak of it as nearly taking in the compass xii. 310, &c.) There was, however, an undefined
of a whole bay. (Hom. Od. xxii. 384-387; Alci- notion of a sort of divine right connected with the
phron, i. 17, 18.) This circumstance well illus- kingly office (&c dal AtbS Ba'lXies, Hesiod. Tleog.
trates the application of the term to describe the 96; comp. Hom. Od. xi. 255. Hence the epithet
besieging of a city: to encircle a city by an unin- &LOTrpecPS, so commonly applied to kings in Homer).
terrupted line of soldiers was called ra-ynrvn-'ev. This, in most cases, was probably strengthened by
(Herod. iii. 145, vi. 31; Plato, de Leg. iii. sub a belief in the divine descent of kingly families.
fin.; Heliodorus, vii. p. 304, ed. Commelini.) The Besides the more ordinary kingly accomplishuse of corks (ieAXol, cortices seberini, Sidon. ments, there were varions others, proficiency in
Apollin. Epist, ii. 2; Plin. II. AV. xvi. 8. s. 13) which gave increased dignity and consideration
to support the top, and of leads (stoXMlif3Es) to even to a king. To be a skilful carpenter of
keep down the bottom, is frequently mentioned by ploughman was considered not unworthy of being
ancient writers (Ovid. Trist. iii. 4. 11, 12; Aelian, made a matter of boast (Hom. Od. v. 246, xviii.
I<. A. xii. 43; Pausan. viii. 12. ~ 1), and is clearly 365, xxiii. 188). Prowess in boxing and other
exhibited in some of the paintings in Egyptian athletic exercises was more closely connected with
tombs. Leads, and pieces of wood serving as floats superiority in the use of arms. (Od. viii. 180, &c.
instead of corks, still remain on a sean which is Il. xxiii. 257, &c.)
preserved in the fine collection of Egyptian anti- Aristotle (1. c.) mentions, as the functions of thie
quities at Berlin. (See Yates, Teatroinze Anti- kings in the heroic age, the leadership in war, the
quum, Appendix C.) [J. Y.] offering of such sacrifices as were not appropriated
REUS. [ACTOR; OBLIGATIONES, P. 658.] to particular priests, and the duty of deciding
REX (aosslXSVs, sva'), king. 1. GREEK. In the judicial causes. But both in the field and in the
earliest ages of Greece, of which we have any au- agora the king always appears in connection with the.
thentic records, we find the kingly form of govern- 8ovXAi. or council of chiefs and elders, of which he
mesnt everywhere prevalent. On this point we may acts as president. Even before Troy Agamemnon
safely trust the pictures of society found in the submits his plans to the assembled chieftains and
Homeric poems; for whatever amount of historical soldiers (il. ii. 53, &c. x. 195, &c.). The restrictive
truth there may be in the legends which form their influence of these assemblies was, however, rather
subject, there cannot be the smallest question that indirect than ostensible. The chieftains or princes
the poems present a faithful reflection of the feel- merely offer their advice (I. ix. 95, &c.), and the
ings, condition and manners of the society in the multitude assembled outside the circle in whichl
age of which they were composed. they sit take no part in the deliberations. They
Whether in early times absolute monarchies ex- only listen, and sometimes applaud (11. ii. 100;
isted in Greece, we have no historical data for Aristot. ap. Schol. ad Il. ix. 17). Still less is
determining. The first of which we can trace the the matter in hand put in any fonmal way to the
features are shereditary snonai'c/ies switLh ilited vote of either the Novxa, or the assembly of freemenl.
functions (7rpoTepo' o8E iSav erl Pr tSos ye'pasri The assemiblies described in the second book of the,ra-rpueal 3osXsEam, Thuc. i. 13; -i srepi'roim Iliad and the second book of tihe Odyssey will
~pwXsLcobs XpioVovs [/3aiXmAEa]?'Iy esclvrcv sYv er1L give a good idea of their nature. In judicial trials
Tis a,' &pc.uevoLs, Arist. Pol. iii. 10j ed. GMottl. the council of elders seems always to have held a
14, ed. Bekker; comp. Dionys. aHilic. Y. 74). prominent place. (I1. x-iii. 5604 Hesiod. T/zeoq.
By this we are to nnderstand, not only that the 85t Op. et D. 37.) Theoretically the governkings were themselves under the control of law or menot of the heroic age was in the strictest sense
custom, but that only a portion of the finetions of mnonarcllical (see especially the remarkable paspolitical sovereignty were in their hands. This is sage 11. ii. 204). Here and there the poet reprethe fourth species of OaoAXeia which Aiistotle re- selts kings as using language which would imply a
cognises; the others being, a. the royalty of the power on the part of the king to deal with his doSpartan kings; b. the royalty of barbtrian kings minions and subjects in a very summary manner
(an hereditary despotism administcred according to (see the offer of Agamemnon to make over to
law); c. the government of an aesysnuetes (Arist. Achilles seven cities, It. ix. 153; and of Menelaus,
Pol. iii. 9 or 14). It is lnot to be supposed, how- to depopulate one of his towns to make room for
ever, that the Grecian kings of the heroic age were Ulysses, Od. iv. 176). No doubt the power of
constitutional kings, or were responsible to their different kings varied, and in the absence of definite
subjects in any recognised sense. Thieir authority constituitionlal restrictions the actual amount of
was founded purely on the personal feeling and power in the hands of each depended miainly on
reverence entertained for them l)3 their subjects, his individual qualifications and address. The
and its limitations were derived not from anyl di- cases, Ionev-er, must have been extremely rare in