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

REX. REX. 991
which it approached to absolute power (wragaai - I anything is said about the children of the deceased
XEia). Even the voice of the commonalty carried king. Consequently the ancient writers state that
a moral weight with it that ensured some degree of the king was chosen on account of his virtues and
respect for it (XaXe7r/ 3iiosu /p7IALS, Od. xiv. 239, not his descent (Cic. de Rep. ii. 12; Appian, B. C.
vi. 273). i. 98). It is true that in the case of Romulus the
Besides such private property as the king might genuine legend makes no mention of his election to
possess, he had the use of a domain attached to the royalty; and one of the acutest modern writers
the regal office. (Od. xi. 185.) The Te/es77 here on the history of the Roman constitution has
spoken of are different from the KcriarTa, or pri- availed himself of this circumstance to support his
vate property of the family, which Telemachus theory, that the Roman king was not elected by the
would retain, even if excluded from the throne, people, but derived his power immediately from
and so deprived of the use of the royal domain. the gods, and that this power devolved upon the
(Od. i. 402.) There were also stated dues (be- senate at his death, and was transmitted in all its
umi7-Es), which formed an important item in the integrity to the next king by means of the interking's emoluments (hence termed?A.rapal, II. ix. reges (Rubino, Untersuclzunygen iber RiMeische Ver156, 2,98). But besides these a large part of his ftassung, p. 107, &c.). Our limits will not permit
revenues was derived from presents (orTivat or us to enter into an examination of this theory. It
d&pa), which appear to have been given on most rests to a great extent upon the assumption that
occasions on which his aid or protection was in- the Patres in the early Roman constitution were
voked (1l. ix. 155, xvii. 225). The characteristic the senate; and it falls if it can be proved that the
emblem of the kingly office was the ro1mCrpoe, (11. Patres in the earliest times were the same as the
ii. 101, 206). [SCEPTRUAc.] whole body of the patricians. We think that W. A.
It was doubtless seldom that the rule of here- Becker (]liandb2ec/z der R7 nmisclen Altertltiiner) has
ditary succession was infringed upon, though the established beyond all doubt that the latter is the
case of Telemachus (Od. i. 386, &c.) indicates that true meaning of the Patres, and that the common
iunder peculiar circumrstances the idea of departing view is correct, which represents the king as volunfrom it might be entertained. But even here the tarily entrusted by the people with the supreme
presumptive right of Telemachus is admitted. Such power.
a departure from the ordinary rule, however, Since the people had conferred the regal power,
marks a considerable decline in the kingly power, it returned to them upon the death of the king.
and advance on the part of the nobles. At a later As in modern states it is held that the king never
period we find kings deprived of their throne for dies, in like manner in Rome the vacant place was
misconduct, as in the case of Thymoetes in Attica. instantly filled up. But as a new king could
At a later period than the Homeric age the fact of not be immediately appointed, an Interrex forth.,
responsibility was regarded as constituting the dif- with stepped into his place. The necessity for an
ference between a king and a tyrant (Arist. Pol. iv. immediate successor to the king arose from the
81). Hence at Argos Pheidon is called a tyrant, circumstance that he alone had had the power of
though he was a legitimate successor to the throne, taking the auspicia on behalf of the state; and as
because he acquired for himself despotic authority. the auspicia devolved upon the people at his death,,
Our information respecting the Grecian kings in it was imperative upon them to create a magistrate,
the more historical age is not ample or minute to whom they could delegate the auspicia and
enough to enable us to draw out a detailed scheme who would thus possess the power of mediating
of their functions. The rising influence of the between the gods and the state. Originally the
nobles gradually reduced these to narrower and people consisted only of the patres or patricii;
narrower limits till at last the establishment of and accordingly, on the death of the king, we
aristocratical or oligarchical governments became read res ad patres redit (Liv. i. 32), or, what is
almost universal. Respecting the kings of Sparta nearly the same thing, ausp icia ad clatres redecunt.
the reader is referred to the article EPHoRI. As [AUGUR, P. 177.] The interrex was elected by
an illustration of the gradual limitation of the pre- the whole body of the patricians, and he appointed
rcgatives of the king or chief magistrate, the reader (prodebat) his successor, as it was a rule that the
may consult the article ARCHoN.: The title Ba- first interrex could not hold the comitia for the
sileus was sometimes applied to an officer who dis- election; but it frequently happened that the
charged the priestly functions of the more ancient second interrex appointed a third, the third a
kings, as in Athens [ARcHON], Delphi (Plut. fourth, and so on, tillthe election took place. This
Quuaest. Gr. 7. p. 177), Siphnos (Isocr. ad CaGlli. was the custom under the republic; and there
p. 685), Megara (Chandler, Marmz Oxron. 2, 82), would have been no reason to suppose that the
Chalcedon (Caylus, Recueil, &c. ii..5), Cyzicus practice was different during the kingly period,. if
(id. ii. 71, 72), and Samothrace (Liv. xlv. 5). it had not been for the account of the appoint(K. F. Ilermann, Lelyruchl der qgriechi. Staatsaiter- ment of interreges after the death of Romulus, ac-.
t/hiiner, ~~ 53-55; Wachsmuth, Felleuischle ill- cording to which the senate was divided into detertlmt/sklunde, ~~ 38, 43; Thirlwall, Iist. of curies for the purpose of sharing the interregnulm
Greece, cc. vi. x.; Grote. Hist. of' Greece, c. xx. between them. [INTERREX.]
vol. ii. p. 79, &c.) [C P. IM.] he Interrex presided over the comitia curiaal,
2. RoaeN. Romne was originally governed by which was assembled for the election of the king.
kings. All the ancient writers agree in repre- H-e had previously agreed with the senate upon
senting the king as elected by the people for life, the person who was to be proposed to the comitia;aid as voluntarily entrusted by them cwith the as king; for it is inconceivable that he had the
supreme power in the state. No refeience is made absolute power of selecting whatever person he
to the hereditary principle in the election of the chose, as Dionysius states in some passages. The
first four kings; and it is not until the fifth king person whom the senate had selected was proposed
Tarciinitusm Pviiscus obtained the so-ereigntye, that by the interrex to the people in a regular'ogwig