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

FERIAE. FERIAE. 629,pollute the sacred season; the rex sacrorum and shall proceed tu give a short account of those festithe flamines were not even allowed to behold any vals and holidays which were designated by the
work being done during the feriae; hence, when name of feriae.
they went out, they were preceded by their heralds Feriae Latzizae, or simply Latinae (the original
(praeczae, pr'aectlamitato es, or calatores), who en- name was Latiar,'IMacrob. 1. c.; Cic. ad Quint.
joined the people to abstain from working, that the Frat. ii. 4), had, according to the Roman legends,
sanctity of the day might not be polluted by the been instituted by the last Tarquin in commemopriests seeing persons at work. (Fest. s. v. Praecia; ration of the alliance between the Romans and
Macrob. I. c.; compare Serv. ad Viyg. Georg. v. Latins. (Dionys. Hal. iv. p. 250. Sylb.) Bubl
268; Plnt. Numa, c. 14.) Those who neglected Niebuhr (Hist. of'Rme, ii. p. 934) has shown that
this admonition were not only liable to a fine, but the festival, which was originally a panegyris of
in case their disobedience was intentional, their the Latins, is of much higher antiquity; for we
crime was considered to be beyond the power of find it stated that the towns of the Priscans and
any atonement; whereas those who had unconsci- Latins received their shares of the sacrifice on the
ously continued their work, might atone for their Alban mount-whichwas the place of its celebration
transgression by offering a pig. It seems that - along with the Albans and the thirty towns of
doubts as to what kinds of work might be done at the Alban commonwealth. All that the last
pltblic feriae were not iunfrequent. and we possess Tarquin did was to convert the original Latin
some curious and interesting decisions given by festival into a Roman one, and to make it the
Roman pontiffs on this subject. One Umubro de- means of hallowing and cementing the alliance
clared it to be no violation of the feriae, if a person between the two nations. Before the union, the
did such work as had reference to the gods, or was chief magistrate of the Latins had presided at the
connected with the offering of sacrifices; all work, festival; but Tarquin now assumed this distinche moreover declared, was allowed which was ne- tion, which subsequently, after the destruction of
cessary to supply the urgenlt wants of human life. the Latisn commonwealth, remained with the chief
The pontiff Scaevola, when asked what kind of magistrates of Rome. (Liv. v. 17.) The object
work might be done on a dies feriatus, answered of this panegyris on the Alban mount was the
that any work might be done, if any suffering or worship of Jupiter Latiaris, and, at least as long
injury should be the result of neglect or delay, e. g. as the Latin republic existed, to deliberate and
if an ox should fall into a pit, the owner might decide on matters of the confederacy, and to settle
employ workmen to lift it out; or if a house any disputes which might have arisen among its
threatened to fall down, the inhabitants might take members, As the feriae Latinae belonged to the
such measures as would prevent its falling, without conceptivae, the time of their celebration greatly
polluting the feriae. (Macrob. I. c. and iii. 3; depended on the state of affairs at Rome, as the
Virg. Geour. i. 270, with the remarks of J. H.Voss; consuls were never allowed to take the field until
Cato, de Re eRust. 2; Columella, ii. 22; compare they had held the Latinae. (Liv. xxi. 63, xxii. 1,
Math. xii. 11; Luke xiv. 5,) Respecting the va- xxv. 12.) This festival was a great engine in the
rious kinds of legal affairs which light be brought hands of the magistrates, who had to appoint the
before the practor on days of public feriae, see time of its celebration (concipere, edicere, or indicere
Digest. 2. tit. 12. s. 2. Latinas); as it migihlt often suit their purpose
Itseems to have been owing to the immense in- either to hold the festival at a particular time or
crease of the Roman republic and of the accuntula- to delay it, in order to prevent or delay such pubtion of business arising therefrom, that some of the lic proceedings as seemed injurious and pernicious,
feriae such as the Compitalia and Lupercalia, in and to promote others to which they were favourthe course of time ceased to be observed, until they ably disposed. This feature, however, the feriae
were restored by Augustus, who revived many of Latinae had in conmmon with all other feriae conthe ancient religious rites and ceremonies. (Suet. ceptlvae. Whenever any of the forms or cereA/ug. 31.) Marcus Antoninus again increased the monies customary at the Latinaehad been neglected,
number of days of business (dies f ksti) to 230, and the consuls had the right to propose to the senate,
the remaninng days were feriae. (Capitol. Mii. Anton. or the college of pontiffs, that their celebration
/ail. c. 10.) After the introduction of Christi- should be repeated (instaucari, Cic. ad Quint.
nsity in the Roman enmpire, the old feriae were Frat. ii. 6; Liv. xxii. 1, xli. 16). Respecting
abolished, and the Sabbath, together with the the duration of the feriae Latinae, the common
Christian festivals, were substituted; but the man- opinion formerly was, that at first they only lasted
lier in which they were kept was nearly the same for one day, to which subsequently a second, a
as that in which the feriae had been observed. third, and a fourth were added (Dionys. Hal. vi.
Law-suits wereaccordingly illegal on Sundays and p. 415. Sylb.); but it is clear that this suppoholidays, though a master might emancipate his sition was founded on a concusion of the feriae
slave if he liked. (Cod. 3. tit. 12.) All work Latinae with the Ludi Maxini, and that they
and all political as well as judicial proceedings, lasted for six days; one for each decury of the
were suspended; but the country people were al- Alban and Latin towns. (Niebuhr, Hist. of Rome,
lowed freely and unrestrainedly to apply them- ii. p. 35; comp. Liv. vi. 42; Plut. Camill. 42.)
selves to their agricultural labours, which seem at The festive season was attended by a sacred truce,
all times to have been distinguished from and andno battle was allowed to be fought during those
thought superior to all other kinds of work; for, as days. (Dionys. Hal. iv. p. 250, Sylb.; Macrob.
mentioned below, certain feriae were instituted 1. c.) In early times, during the alliance of the
imerely for the purpose of enabling the country Romans and Latins, the chief magistrates of both
people to follow their rural occupations without nations met on the Alban mount, and conducted
being interrupted by law-suits and other public the solemnities, at which the Romans, however,
transactions. had the presidency. But afterwards the Romans
After this general view of the Roman feriae, we alone conducted the celebration, and offered the
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