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

SUSPENSURA. SYCOPHANTES. 1079
for the ground on which Insulae were built to're- SYCOPHANTES (cuKcoOdsvrTs). At an early
main the property of the owner of the soil, while period in Attic history a law was made prohibiting
other persons had a Jus Superficiarium in the the exportation of figs. Whether it was made in
different stories, in respect of which a rent (so- a time of dearth, or through the foolish policy of
larium7) was payable to the dominus of the soil. preserving to the natives the most valuable of
iudorff (Beitrag zur Geseclichte der Sepesficies, their productions, we cannot say. It appears,
Zeitsclhriftfiir Gescliczt. Rechtsw. &c., No. xi.) says however, that the law continued in force long
that these terms were as common in Rome " as after the cause of its enactment, or the general
they now are in London where great landholders, belief of its utility, had ceased to exist; and
in consideration of a rent for nine and ninety years, Attic fig-growers exported their fruit ill spite of
and the reservation of the ownership of the soil, prohibitions and penalties. To inform against a
allow others to occupy building ground and slightly man for so doing was considered harsh and vexabuilt houses." He who builds on another's land tious; as all people are apt to think that obsolete
on a building lease has a Jus Superficiarium and statutes may be infringed with impunity. Hence
nothing more. the term TuVocpavc'esV, which originally signified
(Gaius, ii. 73-75; Dig. 43. tit. 18; Lex Icilia, to lay an insforMation against anotlse for exporting
Dionys. Antiq. Romn. x. 32; Puchta, Inst. ii. figs, came to be applied to all ill-natured, malicious,
~ 244; Zeitschrift. &e. xi. 219; Stair, Institutes, groundless, and vexatious accusations. It is debook ii. tit. 7; M'Dowell, Tnsst. i. 676; Code fined by Suidas, /Esv3is Trtios IcaTriyopeY7. (SteCivil, art. 664.) LG. L.] phan. Tliesaus. 8873, b.)
SUPERNUMERA'RII. [AccENS..] Sycophanztes in the time of Aristophanes and
SU'PPARUM. [NAVIS, p. 790, a; TUNICA.] Demosthenes designated a person of a peculiar
SUPPLICA'TIO was a solemn thanksgiving or class, not capable of being described by any single
supplication to the gods decreed by the senate, word in our language, but well understood and apwhen all the temples were opened, and the statues preciated by an Athenian. He had not much in
of the gods frequently placed in public upon common with our syeoplhant, but was a happy comcouches (pulvinaria), to which the people offered pound of the commlon barretor, insformner, pettifoggcer,
up their thanksgivings and prayers (ad omnia pul- busybody, rogue, liar, and slanderer. The Athenian
inariea supplicatio deereta est, Cic. in Ca(hil. -iii. 10). law permitted any citizen (TbOV,ouXdAfiEoV,) to give.
[LECTISTERNIUM.] A Sulplicatio was decreed information against public offenders, and prosecute
for two different reasons. them in courts of justice. It was the policy of the
I. As a thanksgiving, when a great victory had legislator to encourage the detection of crime, and.
been gained: it was usually decreed as soon as a reward (such as half the penalty) was frequently
official intelligence of the victory had been re- given to the successful accuser. Such a power,
ceived by a letter from the general in command. with such a temptation, was likely to be abused,
The number of days during which it was to last unless checked by the force of public opinion, or
was proportioned to the importance of the victory. the vigilance of the judicial tribunals. UnfortuSometimes it was decreed for only one day (Liv. nately, the character of the Athenian democracy
iii. 63), but more commonly for three or five days. and the temper of the judges furnished additional
A supplication of ten days was first decreed in incentives to the informer. Eminent statesmen,
honour of Pompey at the conclusion of the war orators, generals, magistrates, and all persons of
with Mithridates (Cic. de Prov. Cons. 11), and wealth and influence were regarded with jealousy
one of fifteen days after the victory over the Belgae by the people. The mie causes came into court,
by Caesar, an honour which Caesar himself says the more fees accrued to the judges, and fines and
(B. G. ii. 35) had never been granted to any one confiscations enriched the public treasury. The
before. (Compare Cic. 1. c.) Subsequently a sup- prosecutor therefore in public causes, as well as the
plicatio of twenty days was decreed after his con- plaintiff in civil, was looked on with a more favour..
quest of Vercingetorix. (Caes. B. G. vii. 90.) able eye than the defendant, and the chances of.
From this time the senate seems to have frequently success made the employment a lucrative one. It
increased the number of days out of mere compli- was not always necessary to go to trial or even to
nellt to the general. We thus find mention of commence legal proceedings. The timid defendant
thanksgivings for forty days (DionCass. xliii. 14), was glad to compromise the cause, and the confifty days (Id. xliii. 42, and Cic. Phil. xiv. 14), and scious delinquent to avert the threat of a prosecueven sixty. (Dion Cass. xl. 50.) A supplicatio was tion by paying a sum of money to his opponent.
usually regarded as a prelude to a triumph, but it Thriving informers found it not very difficult to
was not always followed by one, as Cato reminds procure witnesses, and the profits were divided beCicero, to whose honour a supplicatio had been tweenthem. Accordingto Theophrastus (ap.Atlesz..
decreed. (Cic. ad Fain. xv. 5.) This honour was vi. 254, b), Athens was full of ALo'ueolcoAadtoo,
conferred upon Cicero on account of his suppression Ka2c A7rooJurv va eal #euC oasoceTrpwV e ael 1coYavoa s'
of the conspiracy of Catiline, which had never been Kal 4evaoX*Ar7pocvc. The character of the evicodecreed to any one before in a civil capacity (to- (padraT will be best understood by the examples
gatus), as he frequently talces occasion to mention. and descriptions found in the Attic writers. Aris(In Catil. iii. 6, 10, in Pis. 3, Phil. ii. 6.) tophanes directs the keenest edge of his satire
II. A Supplicatio, a solemn supplication and against them. (See particularly Acharn. 818,
humiliation, was also decreed in times of public Aves, 1410, Plait. 850.) Demosthenes says:
danger and distress, and on account of prodigies to 7rovcpby 6 ncVKOeadV cTS Kai iETcacvov Kal ql1atTioY
avert the anger of the gods. (Liv. iii. 7, x. 23, (de Coron. 307; compare c. Eusbul. 1309). Guicos
xxxi. 9, xxxvii. 3.) pavrE7v Trpailcoira uvwas in Lysias (e. Esand. 177,
SURDUS. [OBLGATIONES, P. 818,a; TES- ed. Steph.) signifies "to extort thirty minas by
TAMENTUMX.] Sycophant-like practices." (See further Lys. Attu.
SUSPENSU'RA. [BALNEAE, P. 191,b.] KaraA. AvroA. 171 Aesch. de Fals. Leg. 36, ed.