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

1092 TABULAE. TABULARIUM.
that they opened and shut like our books; and Ceratae, et antiquissimae et unice Romanae in
to prevent the wax of one tablet rubbing against Fodina Auraria apud Abrudbanyam, oppidulum
thewax of the other, there was a raised margin Transsylvanum, nuper repertae," Lipsiae (1841).
around each, as is clearly seen in the woodcut under An account of these tablets, taken from Massnmann's
STILUS. There were sometimes two, three, four description, will serve as a commentary on what
five, or even more, tablets fastened together in the has been said above. Both the tabutlae are triabove-mentioned manner. Two such tablets were ptycha, that is, consisting of three tablets each.
called Diptycha (ir-Trvxa), which merely means One is made of fir-wood, the other of beech-wood,
"twice-folded" (from mru"Jerw "to fold"), whence and each is about the size of what we call a small
we have 7r-tVUKiCTO, or with the r omitted, vvC:rlov. octavo. The outer part of the two outside tablets
The Latin word puqyilares, which is the name fre- of each exhibits the plain surface of the wood, the
quently given to tablets covered with wax (Mart. inner part is covered with wax, which is now alxiv. 3; Gell. xvii. 9; Plin. Ep. i. 6), may perhaps most of a black colour, and is surrounded with a
be connected with the same root, though it is raised margin. The middle tablet has wax onll
usually derived from pouyillus, because they were both sides with a margin around each; so that
small enough to be held in the hand. Such tablets each of the two tabulae contains four sides or four
are mentioned as early as the time of Homer, who pages covered with wax. The edges are pierced
speaks of a 7rivae rrUvlr's-C. (11. vi. 1-69.) Three through, that they might be fastened together by
tablets fastened together were called Tript'yclha means of a thread passed through them. The wax
(-rp7rTrvua ), which Martial (xiv. 6) translates by is not thick in'either; it -is'thininer on the beechen
triplices (cerae); in the same way we also read of tabulae, in which the stilus of the writer has somePenztaptyclac (7revTa7rTVrUX) called by Martial (xiv. 4) times cut through the wax into the wood. There
Quinti,:plices (cerae), and of PolyptycTla, (7rov7rrvnxa) are letters on both of them, but on the beechen taor MoUltiplices (cerae). The pages of these tablets bulae they are few and indistinct; the beginning
were frequently called by the name of cerae alone; of the first tablet contains some Greek letters, but
thus we read of primula cera, alterce cera, "first page," they are succeeded by a long set *of letters in un" second page.' (Compare Suet. Net. 17.) In ta- known characters. The writing on the tabulae
blets containing important legal documents, espe- made of fir-wood is both greater in quantity and in
cially wills, the outer edges were pierced through a much better state of preservation. It is written
with holes (fora-tina), through which a triple in Latin, and is a copy of a document relating to
thread (linzum) -was passed, and upon which a seal some business connected with a collegium. The
was thent placed. This was intended to guard name of the consuls is given, which determines its
against forgery, and if it was not done such docu- date to be A. D. 169. One of the'most extraordiments were nilll-and void. (Suet. ATNe. 17; Paulus, nary things connected with it is, that it is written
Sent. Rec. v. 25. ~ 6; TESTAMENTUM.) from right to left. The writing begins on what we
Waxen tablets Awere used among the Romans should call the last or fourth page, and ends at the
for almost every species of writing, where great bottom of the third; and by some strange good
length was not required. Thus letters were fre- fortune it has happened that'the same document
quently written upon them, vwhich were secured is written over again, beginning on the second
by being fastened together with packthread and page and ending at the bottom of the first; so that
sealed with wax. Accordingly we read in Plautus where the writing is effaced or doubtful in the one
(Bacchid; iv. 4. 64) when a letter;is to be written, it is usually supplied or explained by the other.
"Effer cito stilum, ceram, et tabellas, et linum." Waxes tablets continued to be used in Eulope
for the purposes of writing in the middle ages; but
The sealing is mentioned afterwards (1. 96). (Com- the oldest of these with which we are acquainted
pare Cic. in Catil. iii. 5.) Tabhulae and tabellae are belongs to the year 1301 A. t)., and is preserved in.
therefore used in the'sense of'letters. (Ovid. 1wet. the Florentine Museum.
ix. 522.) Love-letters were written onl very small The tablets used in voting in the comitia and
tablets called Vitelliani (Mart. xiv. 8, 9), of which the courts of justice were also called tabulae as
word'however we do not knotw the oirigin. Ta- well as tabellae. [TABELLA'E.J
blets of this kind are presented by Amor to Poly- TA'BULAE PU BLICAE. [TABULARiuM.]
phemus on an ancient painting. (llIus. Borbon. TABULA'RII were notaries or accountants,
vol. i. tav. 2.) who are first mentioned under this name in the
Legal documents, and especially wills, were al- time of the empire. (Sen. Ep. 88; Dig. 11. tit. 6.
most always written on waxen tablets, as men- s. 7; 50. tit. 13. s. 1. ~ 6.) Public notaries, who
tioned above. Such tablets were also used for had the' charge of public documents, were also
accounts, in- hich a person entered what he re- called tabularii (Dig. 43. tit. 5. s. 3), and these
i~eived'and expended (Tabulae or Codex accepti et seem to have differed from the tabelliones in the
expense, Cic. pro Rose.: CGoo. 2). whence Novae circumstance that the latter had nothing to do
Tabulae mean an abolition'of debts either wholly with the custody of the public registers. Public
or in- part. (Suet. Jul. 42; Cic. de Off. ii. 23.) tabularii were first established by M. Antoninls
The above are:merely instances of the exten'sive in the provinces, who ordained that the births of
use of waxen tablets; it is unnecessary to pursue all children were to be announced to the tabularlii
the subject further. within thirty days from the birth. (Capitol. iI..
Two ancient waxen tablets have been discovered Anton. 9.) Respecting the other duties of the
An a perfect state of preservation, one in a gold public tabularii, see Cod. Theod. 8. tit. 2, and
mine four or five miles from the village of Abrud- Gothofr. ad loc.
bianyf in'Transylvania, and the other in a gold TABULA'RIUM, a place where the public
mine in the village itself. Of this interesting dis- records (tabulae publiaee) were kept. (Cic. pro C.
covery an account has been published by Massmann Rabir. 3, pro Arch. 4.) These records were of
le a work intitled " Libellus Aurarius, sive Tabulae various kinds, as for instance Senatusconsulta, Ta