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

ORATION ES. ORATOR. 84 3
sisters Fortunae were worshipped, and their statues Orationes are sometimes called Litterae or Epistolae
used to bend forward when oracles were given. by the non-juristical writers; but the juristical
(Macrob. Sat. i. 23; compare Horat. Caren. i. 35. writers appear to have generally avoided the use of
1S; Suet. Calig. 57 with Ernesti's note; DomZit. 15.) Epistola in this sense,, in order not to confound the
At Praeneste the oracles were derived from lots Imperial Orationes with the Rescripta which were
(sortes), consisting of sticks of oak with ancient often called Epistolae. It appears that the Roman
characters graven upon them. These lots were jurists used the terms Libellus and Oratio Principis
said to have been found by a noble Praenestine of as equivalent, for the passages which have been
the name of Numerius Suffucius, inside of a rock referred to in support of the opinion that these two
which he had cleft open at the command of a dream words had a different sense (Dig. 5. tit. 3. s. 20,
by which he had been haunted. The lots, when 22), show that Libellus and Oratio Principis are
an oracle was to be given, were shaken up together the same, for the Oratio is here spoken of by both
by a boy, after which one was drawn for the per- names. These Orationes were sometimes proson who consulted the goddess. (Cic. de Divin. ii. nounced by the Emperor himself, but apparently
41.) The lots of Praeneste were, at least with the they were commonly in the form of a written
vulgar, in great esteem as late as the time of Cicero, message, which was read by the Quaestors (Dig. 1.
while in other places of Latium they were mostly tit. 13): in the passage last referred to, these Imneglected. The Etruscan Caere in early times had perial messages are called indifferently Libri and
likewise its sortes. (Liv. xxi. 62.) Epistolae. Suetonius (Titus, 6) says, that Titus
a. An Oracle of'jMars was in very ancient times, sometimes read his father's orationes in the senate
according to Dionysius (i. 15), at Tiora Matiena, " quaestoris vice." 5We frequently read of Lit.
not far from Reate. The manner in which oracles terae and Orationes being sent by the Emperor to
were here given resembled that of the pigeon- the Senate. (Tacit. Ann. iii. 52, xvi. 7.) The
oracle at Dodona, for a woodpecker (picus), a bird mode of proceeding upon the receipt of one of
sacred to Mars, was sent by the god, and settled these Orationes may be collected from the preUpon a wooden column, whence he pronounced the amble of the Senatusconsultum contained in the
oracle. Digest (,5. tit. 3). These Orationes were the foundOn Roman oracles in general see Niebuhr, Hist. ation of the Senatusconsulta which were framed
of Ronze, vol. i. p. 508, &c.; Hartung, Die Relig. upon them, and when the Orationes were drawn
der R6nzer, vol. i. p. 96, &c. [L. S.J up with much regard to detail, they contained in
ORA'RIUM was a small handkerchief used for fact the provisions of the subsequent Senatusconwiping the face, and appears to have been employed sultum. This appears from the fact that the Oratio
for much the same purposes as our pocket-handker- and the Senatusconsultum are often cited indifchief. It was made of silk or linen. In the Elytz. ferently by the classical jurists, as appears from
-Mag. (p. 804. 27, ed. Sylb.) it is explained by numerous passages. (Dig. 2. tit. 15. s. 8; 5. tit. 3..
7rpooa'7rouv eCluayefov. Aurelian introduced the s. 20, 22, 40; 11. tit. 4. s. 3, &c.) The Oratio is
practice of giving Oraria to the Roman people to cited as containing the reasons or grounds of the
use ad fitvoren, which appears to mean for the law, and the Senatusconsultum for the particular
purpose of waving in the public games in token of provisions and words of the lait. To the time of
applause, as lwe use our hats and handkerchiefs for Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla, numerous
the seme purpose. (Vopisc. Auzrel. 48; Casaubon Senatusconsulta, founded on Orationes, are menad loe.; A ugustin. de Civ. Dei, xxii. 8; Prudent. tioned; and numerous Orationes of these two EmpeEIpZ $TEsP. i. 86; Hieron. acd Nepotian. Ep. 2.) rors are cited. But after this time they seem to
ORATIO'NES PRI'NCIPUM. The Ora- have fallen into disuse, and the form of making
tiones Principum are frequently mentioned by the and promiulgating Laws by Imperial constitutiones
Roman writers under the Empire; but those which was the ordinary mode of legislation.
are discussed under this head have reference to There has been much discussion on the amount
legislation only, and were addressed to the Senate. of the influence exercised by the Orationes PrinciUnder the Christian Emperors particularly, these pum on the legislation of the Senate. But it seems
Orationes were only a mode of promulgating Law to be tolerably clear, from the evidence that we
as constituted by the Emperor; and we have an have, and from the nature of the case, that the
instance of this even in the reign of Probus Oratio might either recommend generally some
(" Leges, quas Probus ederet, Senatusconsultis pro- legislative leasure, and leave the details to the
priis consecrarent," Prob. Imp. ap. Flav. Vopisc. Senate; or it might contain all the details of the
13.); and in a passage of the Institutes of Justinian proposed measure, and so be in substance, though
(2. tit. 17. s. 7), the expression " Iivi Pertinacis not in form, a Senatusconsultums; and it would
oratione cautiln est." Under the earlier Emperors, become a Senatusconsultum on being adopted by
the Orationes were in the form of propositions the Senate, which, in the case supposed, would be
for laws addressed to the Senate, who had still in merely a matter of form. In the case of an Oratioe,
appearance, though not in reality, the legislative expressed in more general terms, there is no reason
power. This second kind of Orationes is often to suppose that the recommendation of the Emperor
cited by the Classical Jurists, as in the followinsg was less of a command; it was merely a command
instance fanom Gaius (ii. 285) - "ex oratione Divi in more general terms.
Hadriani Senatusconsultum factum est."- " Ora- (Zimmern, Geschichte des Risle. Privatrechts, i. p.
tione Divi Marci.. quam S. C. secutum est." 79; and Dirksen, Ueber die Reden der Il's. IKaiser
(Paulus, Dig. 23. tit. 2 s. 16.) eund derenl Eisafiss stitf die Gesetzgebung, in Rlhein.
Many of the Orationes of the Reman emperors, llts. f'iir Juzrislprdenz, vol. ii.) [G3. L.]
such as are quoted by the Augustae Historiae ORA'TOR. Cicero remarks (Or. Part. c. 28)
Scriptores,are merelycomnmunications to the Senate; that a "certain kind of causes belong to Jus Civile,
such for instance as the announcemnent of a victory. and that Jus Civile is conversant about Laws
(MAaxim. Duo, ap. J. Capitol. 12, 13.) These (Lex) and Custom (ozes) appertaining to things