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

876 PATRICII. PATRICIT.)atfes legit, Liv. i. 30), viz., the Tullii (Julii?); by adoption into a plebeian family, or by a solemn
Servilii, Quinctii, Geganii, Curiatii, and Cloelii, to transition from his own order to the plebs, become
which Dionysius (iii. 29) adds the gens Metilia. a plebeian, leaving his gens and curia and reAncus Marcius admitted the Tarquinii (Dionys. nouncing the sacra. As regards the census, he
iii. 48), Tarquinius Priscus the Tullii (Dionys. might indeed not belong to the wealthy classes,
iv. 3), Servius Tullins the Octavii (Sueton..Asg. but his rank remained the same. Instances of re1, &c.), and even Tarquinius Superbus seems to duced patricians in the latter period of the republic
have had similar intentions. (Dionys. iv. 57; are, the father of M. Aemilius Scaurus and the
Sueton. Vitell. 1.) We do not hear that the num- family of the Sullas previous to the time of the
bher of gentes was increased by these admissions, dictator of that name. (Suet. Aug. 2; Liv.
and must therefore suppose that some of them had iv. 16; Plin. If. N. xviii. 4; Zonar. vii. 15;
already become extinct, and that the vacancies Ascon. Ped. in Scaur. p. 25, ed. Orelli.) A plebeian,
-which thus arose were filled up with these new on the other hand, or even a stranger, might, as we
burghers. (GOttling, p. 222.) During the time of stated above, be made a patrician by a lex curiata.
the republic, distinguished strangers and wealthy But this appears to have been done very seldom
plebeians were occasionally made Roman patricians, and the consequence was, that in the course of a
e. y. Appius Claudius and his gens (Liv. x. 8; few centuries the number of patrician families becompare ii. 16; Dionys. v. 40; Sueton. Tib. 1), came so rapidly diminished, that towards the close
and Domitius Ahenobarbus. (Suet. Areso, 1.) As of the republic there were not more than fifty such
regards the kingly period the Roman historians families. (Dionys. i. 85.) Julius Caesar by the
speak as if the kings had had the power of raising lex Ca9sia raised several plebeian families to the
a gens or an individual to the rank of a patrician; rank of patricians, in order that they might be able
but it is evident that the king could not do this to continue to hold the ancient priestly offices
withouf the consent of the patres in their curies; which still belonged to their order. (Suet. Caes.
and hence Livy (iv. 4) makes Canuleius say, "per 41; Tacit. Anonal. xi. 25; Dion Cass. xliii. 47,
cooptationem in patres, anut ab regibus lecti," which xlv. 2.) Augustus soon after found it necessary
lectio, of course, required the sanction of the body to do the same by a lex Saenia. (Tacit. I. c.; Dion
of patricians. In the time of the republic such an Cass. xlix. 43, lii. 42.) Other emperors followed
elevation to the rank of patrician could only be these examples: Claudius raised a number of senagranted by the senate and the populus. (Liv. iv. tors and such persons as were born of illustrious
4, x. 8, compare especially Becker, Handb. der parents to the rank of patricians (Tacit. 1. c.; Suet.
im7n. Altert/I. ii. 1. p. 26. &c.) 0Oh. 1); Vespasian, Titus, and other emperors did
Since there were no other Roman citizens but the same. (Tacit. Agric. 9; Capitol. Al. Antonin.
the patricians during this period, we cannot speak 1; Lamprid. Commod. 6.) The expression for this
of any rights or privileges belonging to them exclu- act of raising persons to the rank of patricians was
sively; they are all comprehended under CIVITAS in patricios or infnmiliai patriciant adligere.
(ROMAN) and GENS. Respecting their relations to Although the patricians throughout this whole
the kings see COMITIA CURIATA and SENATUS. period had the character of an aristocracy of birth,
During this early period we can scarcely speak of yet their political rights were not the same at all
the patricians as an aristocracy, unless we regard times. The first centuries of this period are an
their relation to the clients in this light. [CLIENS.] almost uninterrupted struggle between patricians
Second Period: fi'om the establishment of the and plebeians, in which the former exerted every
plebeian order to the time of Constantine. When means to retain their exclusive rights, but which
the plebeians became a distinct class of citizens, ended in the establishment of the political equality
who shared certain rights with the patricians, the of the two orders. [PLEBS.] Only a few insignilatter lost in so far as these rights no longer ficant priestly offices, and the performance of certain
belonged to them exclusively. But by far the ancient religious rites and ceremonies, remained
greater number of rights, and those the most im- the exclusive privilege of the patricians; of which
portant ones, still remained in the exclusive pos- they were the prouder, as in former days their resession of the patricians, who alone were ives ligious power and significance were the basis of
optitno jure, and were the patres of the nation in their political superiority. (See Ambrosch, Studien,
the same sense as before. All civil and religious und Andeutungen, &c. p. 58, &c.) At the time
offices were in their possession, and they continued when the struggle between patricians and plebeians
as before to be the populus, the nation now con- ceased, a new kind of aristocracy began to arise
sisting of the populus and the plebes. This dis- at Rome, which was partly based upon wealth and
tinction, which Livy found ill ancient documents partly upon the great offices of the republic, and
(xxv. 12), seems however in the course of time to the term Nobiles was given to all persons whose
have fallen into oblivion, so that the historian ancestors had held any of the curule offices. (Conlseems to be scarcely aware of it, and uses populus pare NoBILEs.) This aristocracy of nobiles threw
for the whole body of citizens including the ple- the old patricians as a body still more into the
leians. Under the Antonines the term populus shade, though both classes of aristocrats united as
signified all the citizens, with the exception of the far as was possible to monopolise all the great
patricii. (Gains, i. 3.) In their relation to the offices of the state (Liv. xxii. 34, xxxix. 41);
plebeians or the commonalty, the patricians now but although the old patricians were obliged in
wvere a real aristocracy of birth. A person born of many cases to make common cause with the nobiles,
a patrician family was and remained a patrician, yet they could never suppress the feeling of their
whether he was rich or poor, whether he was a own superiority; and the veneration which historimember of the senate, or an eques, or held any of cal antiquity alone can bestow, always distinguished
the great offices of the state, or not: there was no them as individuals from the nobiles. How much
power that could make a patrician a plebeian, ex- wealth gradually gained the upper hand, is seen
cept his own free will, for every patrician might: from the measure adopted about the time of the