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

99.1 REX SACRIFICULUS. 1RHETRAE.
For further information respecting the Roman house of the Vestal virgins. (A'mbrosch, &Sedien a.
kings, see Niebuhr, I-Iist. of Rome, vol. i. p. 338, Andtleztulzgen, pp. 41 —76.) [L. S.l
&c.; Walter, Gesc/lichte des tR1;misc7len Rechts, RHEDA or REDA was a travelling carriage
~ 17, 2d ed.; and especially Rubino, Untersuch- with four wheels. Like the CovINus and the
sgen Pber' R;lmiscIec Veijfssun7g, passim; and ESSEDUMf it was of Gallic origin (Quintil. Inst.
]Becker, Ilandbulch der RI1tmischen AltertlAiinler, vol. Orat. i. 5. ~ 68 Caes. Bell. Gall. i. 51), and
ii. pt. i. p. 291, &c. may perhaps contain the same root as the German
REX SACRtIFI'CULUS, REX SACRI'FI- reiten and our ride. It was the common carriage
CUS, or 1EX SACRO'RUTM. When the civil used by the Romsans for travelling, and was freiand military powers of the king were transferred quently made large enough not only to contain
to two praetors or consuls, upon the establishment many persons, but also baggage and utensils of vaof the republican government at Rome, these ma- rious kinds. (Cic. pro il1i. 1 0, 20; Juven. iii. 10;
gistrates were not invested with that part of the Mart. iii. 47.) The word Epilredin77, which was
royal dignity by virtue of which he had been the formed by the Romans from the Greek preposition
high priest of his nation and had conducted several tErl and the Gallic rheda (Quint. I. c.), is explained
of the sacra publica, but this priestly part of his by the Scholiast on Juvenal (viii. 66) as: "Ornaoffice was transferred to a priest called Rex Sacri- 1mentum rhedarum aut plaustrum."
ficiluls or Rex Sacrorulm. (Liv. ii. 2; Dionys. iv. RHETOR. [RaHETORICE GRAPHE.]
74, v. 1.) The first rex acrorum was designated, RHETO'RICE GRAPHE (PrSlTopalc ypa(p4).
at the command of the consuls, by the college of The best interpretation of this expression is perpo01tiffs, and inaugurated by the augurs. He was haps that given by Harpocration and Suidas, s. v.
always elected and inaugurated in the conlitia ca- 71 Kah p41Tropos YEYofEYV?7,?ypdbarTds 7't 1) ~erdvoe
Iota under the presidency of the pontiffs (Gell. xv. 4 7rpdaavTos 7rapavaoLY. There was not any par27), and as long as a rex sacrificulus was ap- ticular class of persons called P'TOpES, invested
pointed at Rome, he was always a patrician, for as lhe *with a leg1a character, or intrusted with political
had no influence upon the management of political duties, at Athens. For every citizen, who did not
affairs, the plebeians never coveted this dignity. labour under some special disability, was entitled
(Liv. vi. 41; Cic. pro Dom. 14.) But for the to address the people in assembly, make motions,
same reason the patricians too appear at last to propose lsaws, &c. The name of ri7'ropes, however,
i}ave attributed little importance to the office; was given in common parlance to those orators and
whence it sometimes ocims that for one, or even statesmen, who more especially devoted themselves
for two successive yeais no rex sacrorum was ap- to the business of public speaking *while those who
pointed, and during the civ-il aars in the last pe- kept aloof from, or took no part in, the business of
riod of the republic, the office appears to have popular assemblies, were called t'ic'Tat. Hence
fallen altogether into disuse. Augustus however PiTrCwp is explained by Suidas, s. v.'O Itj 0uvcuse8ems to have revived it, for we find fiequent aovsxe.wv ceal o6 i 8i41tp &'aYopesiO,. The piTOpLK1
mention of it during the empire, until it was pro- ypa(p7 might be either the same as the 7rapavdeuwv
bably abolished in the time of Theotosius. (Orclli, ypaaa, or a maote special prosecution, attended with
Inscr. n. 2280, 228'2, 2283.) heavier penalties, against practised demagogues,
Considering that thlis priest iats the religious who exerted their talents and influence to deceive
representative of the kings, he ranked indeed the people and recommend bad measures. Others
higher than all other priests, anld evenl ltigher than have conjectured this to be a proceeding similar to
the pontifex maximus (Festas. s.v. Oido saeersdo- the iraTyye-ia a8omtauaeias, dkiected against those
iznl), but in power and influence he was farinlferior persons who ventured to speak in public, after
to hlim. (Id saceedotiz7un pontifiic su2leceCe, Liv. ii. having been guilty of some misdemeanour which
2.) He held his office for life (Dionys. i-. 74), would render thems liable to ar'LFLa. Of this nature
was not allowed to hold any civil or military dig- was the charge brought against Timarchus by Aesinity, and was at the same tilme exempted fromn all chines, lwhose object was to prevent the latter from
military and civil diuties. (Diuonys. 1.'e; Piut. appearing as prosecutor against him on the subject
Quaest. Ronm. 60; Liv. xl. 42.) His principal func- of the embassy to Philip. (Schlsmann, de Coiulit.
tions were: I. To perform thse sacra publica p. 108; Meier, Att. Proc. p. 209.) [C. R. K.].which had before been hperformed by the kings t RHETRAE (Prrpai), specially the name of the
and his wvife, who boase the title of regiac sacrorsuii, ordinances of LTct~tgs. (Plat. Lye. 6, 13.) The
had like the queeins of former days also to perform word is defined by the granallarians to signify a
certain priestly functions. These, sacra publica he compact or treaty (p'p?7, i1 E7rrl p51'roTsrtar7T oTuv0G1ic,
or his wvife had to perform on all the Calends, Ides, Apollon. Lex. Hom77. p. 138. 30, ed. Bekker;
and the Nundines; le to Jupiter, and she to Juno, p7rTpai, ravvOiKat 8&aa No'ywv, HesSch.); and most
in the regia. (Varnr, d(1 Ling. Lat. vi. 12, 13; modetn writers adopt this interpretation, supposing
M-acrob. Sat. i. 15.) 2. On the days called regi- the word to signify originally w-ords (ob pr}vb), or
fiuium he had to offer a sacrifice in the comitiumum. a declaration, which bound parties. It is true
[RE vIFUGIur v.] 3. When extraordinary portenta that the etynmology points simply to that which is
seemed to announce some general calamlity it was spoken or declared; but Plutarch gives another
his duty to try to propitiate the anger of the gods. meaninig to the word in relation to the laws of
(Fest. s. v. Regiae feriae.) 4. On the nundines Lycurgus, and says that they were divine ordialhen the people assembled in the city, thte rex sa- nlances (pir'pas ceiUaoev, e cms arapa'ov so6 vonLcrorum announced (edicebat) to them the succession C3/seva Kal XprpsoaUs ovrTa, Plut. Lye. 13). The
of the festivals for the month. This part of his opimnion of Mr. Grote, which reconciles these two
folictions however must have ceased after the time accounts, seems the most probable. " The word
of Cn. Flavius. (Varro, de Lizng. Lat. vi. 13; 1Rtetrac means a solemn compact, either originally
Selrv. itd Aen. viii. 654.) He lived in a domus emanating from, or subsequently sanctioned by the
publica on the via sacrn, near the regia, and the Igods, who are alwavys parties to such agyreements: