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

I283 FERIAE. FERIAE.
nion that it was first adopted at Rome in the time observed by single families or individtals, in come
of Sulla; but whether it became the legal rate by nlenloration of some particular event which had
any special enactment, or from general consent, does been of importance to them or their ancestors. As
not appear. Some writers have inferred (Heinecc. family feriae, are mentioned the jfriae Claudiaes,
iii. 15) that it was first legalised by the edicts of Alesailiae, Juliae, Corneliae, &c., and we must supthe city praetors, an inference drawn from the pose that all the great Roman families had their
general resemblance between.the praetorian and particular feriae, as they had their private sacra.
proconsular edicts, coupled clith the fact that some Among the family-holidays we may also mention
proconsular edicts are extant, by which the cente- the flriae denzicales, i. e. the day on which a family,
sima is fixed as the legal rate in proconsular pro- after having lost one of its members by death,
vinces. (ln edicto tralaticio ceztesimaus ine obser- underwent a purification. (Fest. s. v. Cic. tide
vewttluru /zlabuli, Cic. ad Att. v. 21.) Whether this Leg. ii. 222; Columell. ii. 22.) Individuals kept
supposition is true or not, it is admitted that the feriae on their birthdays, and other occasions which
centesinia or 12 per cent. was the legal rate towards marked any memorable event of their lives. Duriug
the close of the republic, and also under the em- the time of the empire the birthday of an emperor
perors. Justinian reduced it to 6 per cent. (Heinec. sometimes assumed the character of a public holiday,
iii. 1 6.) and was celebrated by the whole nation with ganles
In cases of fenus nauticum, however, or bottomry, and sacrifices. Thus the birthday of Augustus,
as the risk was the money lender's. he nfight de- called Augustalia, was celebrated with great splenmicand any interest he liked while the vessel on dour even in the time of Dion Cassius (liv. 34,
which the money was lent was at sea; but after she lvi. 46). The day on which Augustus had rereached harbour, and while she was there, no more turned from his wars was likewise for a long time
thans the usual rate of 12 per cent, on the centesimas made a holiday of. (Tacit. AJnnal. i. 15, with the
could be demanded. note of Lipsius; Dion Cass. liv. 10.) The dies
Jlustinian made it the legal rate for fenus nauti- natalicii of the cities of Rome and Constantinople
rm i under all circumstanlces. (Heinec. /. c.) [R.]W.] were at a still later period likelwise reckoned among
FERA'LIA. [FUNUS.] tlhe feriae. (Cod. 3. tit. 12. s. 6.)
FE1 RCULUM (from.fer-o), is applied to any All fs/riae publicce, i. e. those which were obkilid of tray or platform used for carrying aenything. served by the whole nation, were divided into
Thus it is used to signify the tray or franie on. which felriae stativae, feriae conceptivae, andfieriae impeeraseveral dishes were brought in at once at dinner tivae. Feriae stativae or statae were those which
(l'etron. 35; Plin. H. X. xxviii. 2); and hence were held regtularly, and on certain days marked,fecula came to mean the number of courses at in the calendar. (Fest. s. v.; Macrob. 1. c.) To
dilnner, and even the dishes themselves. (Suet. these belonged some of the great festivals, such as
Alctg. 74; Serv. ad VTirg. Aen. i. 637; Juv. i. 93, the Agonalia, Carmentalia, Lupercalia, &c. Feriae
xi. 64; Her. Sat. ii. 6. 104; 2M'art. iii. 50, ix. 82, conceptivac orconceptae were held every year, but
xi. 31.) not on certain or fixed days, the time being every
The ferculum was also used for carrying the year appointed by the magistrates or priests (gTotimeages of the gods in the procession of the circus acesi s a-i?tzqistratibss vel ScoCeiot/OiblS co0ce1iprIntut,
(Suet. Jul. 76) [CiRcus, p. 287, a], the ashes of Macrob. 1. c.; Varro, de Lisq. Lat. vi. 25, &c.;
the dead in a funeral (Suet. csal. 15), and the spoils Fest. s. v.). Among these we may mentionl the
in a triumph (Suet. Jul. 37; Liv. i. 10); in all feriae Latinae, feriae Sementivae, Panganalia. and
which cases it appears to have been carried on the Compitalia. F'elrire im7perativae are those which
shoulders or in the hands of men. The most illus- were held on certain emergencies at the commaend
trious captives were sometimes placed on a fer- of the consuls, praetors, or of a dictator. The books
culuml in a triumph, in order that they might be of Livy record many feriae imperativae, which
better seen. (Senec. IHer. Oet. 109.) were chiefly held in order to avert the dangers
FERENTA'RII. [ExERCITUS, p. 502, b.] which some extraordinary prodigy seemed to foreFERETRUM. [FUNus. ] bode, but also after great victories. (Liv. i. 31,
FE'RIAE, holidays, were, generally speatling, iii. 5, vii. 28, xxxv. 40, xlii. 3; Polyb. xxi. i.)
days, or seasons durinn which free-born Rocmanls They frequently lasted for several days, the number
suspended their political transactions and their of which depended upon the importance of the
law-suits, and during which slaves enjoyed a cessa- event which was the cause of their celebration.
tion from labour. (Cic. de Leg. ii. 8. 12, lde Div. But whenever a rain of stones was believed to have
i. 45.) All feriae were thus dies nefasti. The happened, the anger of the gods was appeased by
feriae included all days consecrated to any deity; a saecrem nlotrsendials, or feriae per noviunz dies.
consequently all days on which public festivals This number of days had been fixed at the time
were celebrated were feriae or dies feriati. But when this prodigy had first been observed. (Liv.
some of them, such as the feria vindemialis, and i. 31.) Respecting the legitimate forms in which
the feriae aestivae, seem to have had no direct con- the feriae conceptivae and imperativae were annection with the worship of the gods. The nun- nounced and appointed, see Brisson. de Fores. p.
dinae, however, during the time of the kinlgs and 107, &c.
the early period of the republic, Were feriae only The manner in which all public feriae were kIept
for the populus, and days of business for the ple- bears great analogy to our Sunday. The people
beians, until, by the Hortensian law, they became generally visited the temples of the gods, and
fasti or days of business for both orders. (Macrob. offered up their prayers and sacrifices. The most
Sat. i. 16; compare Niebuhr, Hist. of Ronme, vol. ii. serious and solemn seem to have been the feriae
p. 213, &c.; Warlter, Gesc/ic/ste d. RoSz. Rec/lts, imlperativae, but all the others were generally atp. 190.) tended by rejoicings and feasting. All kinds of
All feriae were divided into two classes, feriae business, especially law-suits, wvere suspended durpFteicae and//riac pe-ivatae. The latter were only I ing the public feriae, as they were considered to