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

FASCIA, FASTI. 521
the secures should be removed front the ftsces, and b)y men (VYa. Max. 1. c.; Phaed. v. 7. 37), were a
allowed only one of the consuls to be preceded by sign of extraordinary refinement in dress: tihe
the lictors wrhile they were at Rome. (Cic. de mode of clemning them was by rubbing them with
Relp. ii. 31; Valer. Max. iv. I. ~ 1.) The other a white tenacious earth, resembling our pipe-clay
consul was attended only by a single accensus (Jfitscie cretltnie, Cic. ad Att. ii. 3). The filler
[AccEsNus]. When they were out of Rome, and fasciae, worn by ladies, were purple. (Cic. do
at the head of the army, each of the consuls re- aLtrusp. Resp. 21.) The bandages wound about
tained the axe in the fasces, and was preceded by the legs, as shown in the illuminations of ancient
his own lictors. (Dionys. v. 19; Liv. xxiv. 9, MSS., prove that the Roman usage was generally
xxviii. 27.) adopted in Europe during the middle ages.
When tlse decemviri were first appointed, tile On the use of fasciae in the nursing of children
fasces were only carried before the one who pre- (Plaut. Truc. v. 13) see InxCUNABULA. [J. Y.]
sided for the day (Liv. iii. 33); and it was not FA'SCIA (raveia), in architecture, signifies (by
till the second decenmvirate, when they began to an obvious analogy Nvith the ordinary meaning of
act in a tyrannical manner, that the fasces with the word) any long fiat surface of wood, stone, or
the axe were carried before each of the ten. (Liv. marble, such as the band which divides the arcl;iiii. 36.) The fasces and secures were, however, trave from the frieze in the Doric order, and the
carried before the dictator even in the city (Liv. surfaces into which the architrave itself is divided
ii. 18): he was preceded by 24 lictors, and the in the Ionic and Corinthian orders. (See EPISTYmaagister equitum by six. LIUM, and the cuts under COLUMNA.) [P. S.]
The praetors were preceded in the city by two FA'SCINUM (fairrcava), fascination, enchantlictors with the fasces (Censorin. De Die Naltatl. mernt. The belief that some persons had the
24; Cic. l1rare. ii. 34); but out of Rome and at power of injuring others by their looks, was as
the head of an arniy by six, with the fasces and prevalent anmotng the Greeks and Romans as it is
secures, whence they are called by the Greek among the superstitious in modern times. The
wriiters'Orpa-nr7eol i~arewXcets. (Appian, Syr. 13; rpOalrbs fdrc aveos, or evil eye, is frequently menPolyb. ii. 24. ~ 6, iii. 40. ~ 9, 106. ~ 6.) The tioned by ancient writers. (Alciphr. E7,. i. 15;
proconsuls also were allowed, in the time of UlpianI, I-eliod. Aethiop. iii. 7; compare Plin. IN. N. vii. 2.)
six fasces. (Dig. 1. tit. 16. s. 14.) The tribunes Plutarch, in his Symposium (v. 7), has a separate
of the plebs, the aediles and quaestors, had no chapter nrepl'3v oeaeraeaiafcnetn' XeYoV; ces, o,al
lictors in the city (Plut. Quaest. Roen. 81; Gell. Bcizaleeov fX ev EE aIXudvr. The evil eye was supxiii. 12); but in the provinces the quaestors were posed to injure children particularly, but somepennitted to have the fasces. (Cic. Pro Plane. times cattle also; whence Virgil (Eel. iii. 103)
41.) sayes
The lictors carried the fasces on their shouldere, " Nescio quis teneros oculos mihi fscirat agnum."
as is seen in the coin of Brutus given above; and
when an inferior magistrate met one who was Various amulets were used to avert the influence
higher in rank, the lictors lowered their fasces to of the evil eye. The most common of these aphim. This was done by Valerius Publicola, when pears to have beerl the phallus, called by the
hie addressed the people (Cic. de Rep. ii. 31; Liv. Romans fascinum, which was hung round the
ii. 7; Valer. Max. iv. 1. ~ 1); and hence came necks of children (tupiczla res, Varr. De Linzg. Lat.
the expression sublittere fisces in the sense of to vii. 97 ed. Muller). Pliny (IL. N. xix. 19. ~ 1)
yield, to confess one's self inferior to another. (Cic. also says that Satyrica signa, by which he means
Brut. 6.) the phallus, were placed in gardenis and on hreartisL
When a general had gained a victory, and had as a protection against the fascinations of the
been saluted as Inperator by his soldiers, his envious;a nd we learn from Pollux (viii. 118)
fasces were always crowned with laurel. (Cic. ad that smiths were accustomed to place the same
Aft. viii. 3. ~.5, de Div. i. 28; Caes. Bell. Giv. figures before their forges with the same design.
iii. 71.) Sometimes other objects were employed for this
FASCIA (-ralvda), dime. FASCIOLA, a band purpose. Peisistratus is said to have hung the
or fillet of cloth, worn, 1. round the head as anl fiogure of a kind of grasshopper before the Acreensign of royalty (Sueton. Jul. 79) [IADenErA; polls as a preservative against fascination. (Hesych.
woodcut to FAIx]: 2. by women over the breast s. V. KaTaXvrm7.)
(Ovid, De A-tI. A1cmat. iii. 622; Propert. iv. 10. Another common mode of averting falscination
49; Fascie Pectoralis, Mart. xiv. 134) [STvo- was by spitting illto the folds of one's own dress.
PoIrumw]: 3. round the legs and feet, especially (T'heocr. vi. 39; Plin. ii. N. xxviii. 7; Lucian,
by women (see the woodcut under the article Navig. 15. vol. iii. p. 259, ed. Reitz.)
LaBRA). Cicero reproached Clodius for wearing According to Pliny (I-. N. xxviii. 7), Fascinus
fasciae upon his feet, and the Calantica, a female was the namle of a god, who was worshipped among
ornament, upon his head (ap. Noez. ilearc. xiv. 2). the Roman sacra by the Vestal virgins, and was
Afterwards, when the toga had fallen into disuse, placed under the chariot of those who triumphed
and the shorter palliuna was worn in its stead, as a protection against fascination; by which he
so that the legs were naked and exposed,efisciae means in all probability that the phallus was
eousraes became common evenll vith the male sex. placed under the chariot. (Miiller, Arcliol. der
(Hor. Sat. ii. 3. 2.55; Val. Max. vi. 2. ~ 7; Grat. Kunst, ~ 436. 1, 2; EBttiger, Klein. Sclir. iii.
Cyneg. 338.) The emperor Alexander Severts p. 111; Becker, Charikiles, vol. ii. pp. 109, 291.)
(Lamprid. Alex. Sev. 40) always used them, even FASTI. Fas signifies divine lacu: the epithet
although, when irs town, he wore the toga. Quin- fiastus is properly applied to anything in accordance
tilian, nevertheless, asserts that the adoption of with divine law. adlc hence those days upon which
them could only be excused on the plea of infirm legal business might, without impiety (sinepiaceal,).
health. (Inst. Or. xi. 3.) White fasciae, worn be transacted before the praetor, were technically