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

336 COMITIA. COMI'I A.
he might grant to others, if they desired it, per- and C (condenl2o), and there was, perhaps, a
mission to speak about the measure, either in its third tablet containing the letters N. L. (non
favour or against it. (Concionzenm dare, Liv. iii. 71, liquet), but this is an uncertain point. There were
xxxi. 6, &c., xlii. 34; Appian, De B. C. i. 11; in the Campus Martius septa or inclosures (whether
Dion Cass. xxxviii. 4; Quintil, ii. 4. ~ 3.) In this they existed from the earliest times is unknown),
case, however, it was customary for private per- into which one class of citizens was admitted after
sons to speak before any magistrate, and the orators, another for the purpose of voting. The first that
until the time of Gracchus, while speaking turned entered, were the eighteen centuries of the equites,
their face towards the comitium and the senate then followed the first class and so on. It very
house. (Dion Cass. xxxix. 35; Cic. Lael. 25; rarely happened that the lowest class rwas called
Plut. C. Gracch. 5, Tib. Gracc7h. 14.) When the upon to vote, as there was no necessity for it,
comitia acted as a court of justice, the president unless the first class did not agree with the
stated the crime, proposed the punishment to be equites. (Dionys. iv. 20, vii. 59, viii. 82, x. 17;
inflicted upon the offender, and then allowed others Liv. i. 43.) After the time when the comitia of
to speak either in defence of the accused or against the centuries became amalgamated with those of
him. the tribes, previous to each assembly, a large space
When the subject brought before the assembly near the villa publica was surrounded with an enwas sufficiently discussed, the president called closure, and divided into compartments for the
upon the people to prepare for voting by the words: several tribes. The whole of this enclosure was
itc in su7l'agisun, beejlluvantibas diis. (Liv. xxxi. called ovile, septa, carceres, or cancelli; and in
7.) Ie then passed the stream Petronia, and later times a stone building, containing the whole
went to the sepia. If the number of citizens people, was erected; it was divided into compresent at the assembly was thought too small, partments for the classes as well as the tribes and
the decision might be deferred till another day, centuries; the access to these compartments was
but this was rarely done, and a question was formed by narrow passages called pontes or poezniusually put to the vote, if each century was but culi. On entering, the citizens received their
represented by a few citizens. (Liv. vii. 18; Cic. tablets (Cic. ad Att. i. 14, de Leg. iii. 17, in 1Pis.
p. Sext. 51, de Leg. Agr. ii. 9; Plut. Tib. GraCcc/. 15, p. Planec. 6); and when they had consulted
16; Dion Cass. xxxix. 30.) Respecting the within the enclosures, they passed out of themn
manner in which the votes were given in the ear- again by a pons or ponticulus, at which they threw
liest times, opinions are divided: some think that their vote into a chest (cista) which was watched
they were given viva voce, and others by means by oogatores. Hereupon the rogatores collected the
of callcLi, or in both ways, though it seems to tablets, and gave them to the diribilores, who clasbe more probable that calculi were used. The sified and counted the votes, and then handed them
leges tabellariae introduced a change in this over to the custodes, who again checked'them off by
respect, ordaining that the votes should be given points marked on a tablet. (Comp. Cic. in Pis. 1 5
in writing. [LEGES TABELLARISE.] But pre- — " vos rogatores, vos diribitores, vos custodes
vious to the leges tabellariae, the rogatores, tabellarum.") The order in which the centuries
who subsequently collected the written votes, voted, was determined in the Servian constitution,
stood at -the entrance of the septa, and asked in the manner described above; but after the union
every citizen for his vote, which was taken down, of the centuries and tribes, the order was determined
and used to determine the vote of each century.. by lot; and this was a matter of no slight import(Dionys. vii. 64.) In legislative assemblies, the ance, since it frequently happened that the vote of
voter, probably from the earliest times, signified the first determined the manner in. which subsehis disapproval by the word antiquo, and his ap- quent ones voted. The voting, of course, was conlproval by uti royas. (Liv. vi. 38, x. 8, xxx. 43, tinuned, until the majority was ascertained. In the
xxxi. 8, xxxiii. 25; Cic. de Leg. ii. 10.) At case of elections, the successful candidate was proelections, the name of the successful candidate claimed twice, —first, by the praeco, and then by
was mentioned to the rogator, who had to mark the president, and without this renuntiatio the
the favourable votes by dots which he made by election was not valid. After all the business was
the side of the name: hence puneta ferre, to be done, the president pronounced a prayer (Cic. sp.
successful. (Liv. x. 13, 22, xxix. 22.) The Plane. 6, p. i/lsuren. 1), and dismissed the assembly
custom of voting at elections by tablets with the with the word discedite.
name of the candidates written on them, was in- Cases are frequently mentioned in which the
troduced in B. c. 139, by the lex Gabinia tabellaria proceedings of the assembly were disturbed, so
(Cic. De Leg. iii. 16); two years later L. Cassius that it was necessary to defer the business till
introduced the same custom, in cases of the another day. This occurred-1. when it was discomitia acting as a court of justice (Cic. Brut. covered that the auspices had been unfavourable,
27), and, afterwards, it was established also in or when the gods manifested their displeasure by
legislative assemblies, and in cases where the rain, thunder, or lightning; 2. when a tribune
comitia tried persons for perduellio. [LEGES TA- interceded (Liv. xlv. 21; Dionys. vi. 89; Cic. in
BELLARIAE.] The two tablets which were given Vat. 2); 3. when the sun set before the business
to each person for the purpose of voting on legis- was over, for it was a principle that the auspices
lative measures, were marked the one with U were valid only for one day from sunrise to sunset
and the other with A (euti rogas and antiquo. Cic. (Varro, De L. L. vii. 51; Dion Cass. xxxix. 65;
ad Att. i. 14). At elections, the citizens obtained Liv. x. 22, xli. 17; Dionys. ix. 41); 4. when a
blank tablets, that they might write upon them nzorbzs comitiactis occurred, i. e. when one of the
the name of the candidate for whom they voted. assembled citizens was seized with an epileptic fit
(Cic. Phil. xi. 8; Pllt. C. Graccl. 5, Cat. MAlin. 46; (Dion Cass. xlvi. 33; Gellius, xix. 2; Macrob.
Plin. Epist. iv. 25.) In judicial assemblies, every Sat. ii. 8); 5. when the vexillum was taken away
citizen received two tablets marked A (absolvo) from the Janiculunm, this being a signal which all