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

CENTUiMVIRI. CENTUMI lIRT. 267
Peloponnesian i;var, though the divisions illto classes three were chosen out of each tribe, and consethemselves continued to be observed for a consider- quently the whole number out of the 35 tribes
able time after. As the wants of the republic in- would be 105, who, in round numbers, were called
creased, and as many citizens were possessed of the hundred men; and as there were not 35 tribes
large property without being landed proprietors, till B. c. 24], it has been sometimes inferred that
the original land-tax was changed into a property- to this time we must assign the origin of the centax. In this manner we must explain the proposal tumviri. But, as it has been remarked by Hollof Euripides, shortly before B. c. 393, to raise 500 weg, we cannot altogether rely on the authority of
talents by imposing a tax of one fortieth part. Festus, and the conclusion so drawn from his state(Aristoph. Eecles. 823, &c.) For the taxable ment is by no means necessary. If the centumviri
capital, viz. 20,000 talents, far exceeds the amount were chosen from the tribes, this seems a strong
of all the landed property in Attica. This property presumption in fayour of the high antiquity of the
tax, which was substituted for the land tax, was court.
called Eimoopa, concerning which see EIsPoIr.R. The proceedings of this court, in civil matters,
Compare LEITURGIAE; and for the taxes paid by were per legis actionem, and by the sacramentumn.
resident aliens, METOICI. (BEckh, Publ. Econ. of The process here, as in the other judicia privata, con4Attens, p. 495, &c., 2d edit.) sisted of two parts, in jure, or before the praetor,
2. ROMAN. [CENsoR.] [L. S.] and in judicio, or before the centumviri. The
CEN TESIMi A, namely parns, or thle hundredth praetor, however, did not instruct the centumviri
part, also called vectigal srerums venalisnu, or cen- by the forlmula, as in other cases, which is further
tesie.saerlum vernaliunt, was a tax of one per cent. explained by the fact that the praetor presided in
levied at Rome and in Italy upon all goods that the judicia centunmviralia. (Plin. E). v. 21.)
were exposed for public sale at auctions. It was It seems pretty clear tlhat the powers of the cencollected by persons called coneaoses. (Cic. ad tumnviri were limited to Rome, or at any rate to
ri'tut. 18, psro itabir. Post. 11; Dig 1. tit. 16. Italy. Ilollweg maintains that their powers were
s. 17. ~ 2.) This tax, as Tacitus (AnZ. i. 78) also confined to civil matters; but it is impossible
says, was introduced after the civil wars, though to reconcile this opinion with some passages (Ovid,.
its being mentioned by Cicero shows, tllat these Trist. ii. 91; Phaedr. iii. 10, 35, &c.), from which
civil wars cannot have been those between Octa- it appears that crimina camne under their cogni.
vian and Antony, but llust be an earlier civil zanlce. The substitution of ant forit in the passage
war, perhaps that between 1Marius and Sulla. Its of Quintilian (Inst. Or-at. iv. 1. ~ 57), even if
produce was assigned by Augustus to the aescr- supported by good MSS. as Hollweg affirms, can
1'ilt mlilitate. Tiberius reduced the tax to one hardly be defended.
half per cent. (ducentesimn), after he had changed The civil matters lwhich came under the cogniCappadocia into a province, and had thereby in- zance of this court are not completely ascertained.
creased the rex enue of the empire. (Tac. Ann. ii. Many of them (though we have no reason for say42.) Caligulal in the begiinning of his reign ing sall of them) are enumerated by Cicero in a
abolished the tax altogether for Italy, as is at- iwell-known passage (De Oslt. i. 38). I-Iollweg mentested by Suetonins (Cali/g. 16) and also by an tions that certain matters only came under their
ancient medal of Caligula on which we find C. C. R. cognizance, and that other matters were not within
(i. e. ducentcsizca r cnisscs.) But Dion Cassius (lviii. their cognizance; and further, that such matters as
16), whose authority on this point cannot outweigh were within their cognizance, were also within the
that of Suetonius and Tacitus, states that Tiberius cognizance of a single judex. Hollweg maintains
increased the clducentessinza to a centesimac, and in that actiones in remn or v-indicationes of the old
another passage he agrees with Suetonius in stating civil law (with the exception, hoawever, of actiones
that Caligula abolished it altogether (lix. 9; comp. praejudiciales or status quaestiones) could alone be
BEurmann, De Vectig. Pop. Ro2e. p. 70). [L. S.] brought before the centumn-iri; and that neither a
CENTE'SIMAE USU'1RAE. [FENUS.] personal action, one arising from contract or delict,
CENTU'MVIRI. The origin, constitution, and nor a status quaestio, is ev-er mentioned as a causa
powers of the court of centumnviri are exceedingly centumviralis. It a as the practice to set up a
obscure, and it seems almost ilnpossible to corn- spear in the place where the centumviri were sitbine and reconcile the various passages of Roman ting, and accordingly the word hasta, or hasta cellnwriters, so as to present a satisfactory vieaw of this tunmiralis, is sometimes used as equivalent to the
subject. The essay of Hollweg, Uber die CoE- words judicium celltumvirale. (Suet. Octnzian.
pentenz ces Centfwmi;1'salyericlts (Zeitsclr'ft, &c., v. 36; Quintil. Isst. Orst. v. 2. ~ 1.) The spear
358), and the essay of Tigerstrmin, De Jedicibues was a symbol of quiritarian. ownership: for "a
acpeda Rozanos, contain all the authorities on this man waas considered to have the best title to that
matter; but these two essays do not agree in all which lie took in avar, and accordingly a spear is
their conclusions. set up in the centumviralia judicia." (Gains, iv.
The centumviri were judices, wvho resembled 1 6.) Such was tihe explanation of the Roman
other judices in this respect, that they decided jurists of the origin of an ancient custom, from
cases under the authority of a mnagistratius: but which it is argued, that it may at least be inferred,
they differed from other judices in being a definite the cenltumviri had properly to decide matters rebody or collegimin. This collegium seems to have |lating to quiritarianl oxwnership, and questions conbeen divided into four parts, each of awhich some- nected therewith.
times sat by itself. The origin of the court -is un- It has been already said that the matters which
known; but it is certainly prior to the Lex Aebutia, belonged to the cognizance of the centunaviri might
which put an end to the legis actiones, except in also be brought before a judex; beut it is conjecthe matter of Danmnurm Infectun, and in the causae tured by I-Iollweg that this was not the case till
centumvirales. (Gaius, iv. 31; Gell. xvi. 10.) after the passing of the Aebutia Lex. Ile considers
According to Festus (s. C'~estuntmrivuica Jssdicirc), that the court of the centumviri was established