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

PECULATUS. PEDUM. 881
PECTEN- (icTets), a comb. The Greeks and tiones perpetluae, which imply some Lex de Pecultomlans used combs made of box-wood (Brunck, latu, and such a Lex is by some writers enumerated
Anal. i. 221; Ovid. Fast. vi. 23; Mart. xiv. 25), among the Leges Sullanae, but without stating the
which they obtained, as we do, from the shores of authority for this assertion. Two Leges relating
the Euxine sea. The mountain ridge of Cytorus to Pecnlatus are cited in the Digest, Lex Julia
in Galatia was particularly celebrated for this pro- Peculatus and Lex Julia de Residuis (Dig. 48.
duct. (Ovid. lIet. iv. 311.) The Egyptians had tit. 13); but these may be the same Lex, though
ivory combs (Apul. Mlet. xi. p. 121, ed. Aldi), quoted as two Leges, just as the Lex Julia de
which also came into use by degrees among the Adulteriis comprised a provision De Fundo Dotali,
Romans. (Claudian, de Aiupt. Honor. 102.) The which chapter is often quoted as if it were a sepagolden comb, ascribed to the goddesses, is of course rate Lex. Matters relating to sacrilege were also
imaginary. (Callim. in Lav. Pall. 31.) The wooden comprised in the Lex Julia Peculatus (ne quis ear
combs, found in Egyptian tombs, are toothed on pecuGnia sacra, relIqiosa publicave araqfest, &c.);
one side only; but the Greeks used them with matters relating to the debasement of the coinage;
teeth on both sides, as appears from the remains of the erasing or cancelling of tabulae publicae, &c.
combs found at Pompeii (Donaldson's Pompeii, The Lex de Residuis applied to those who had re-ol. ii. pl. 78), and from the representation of three ceiled public money for public purposes and had
combs, exactly like our small-tooth combs, on the retained it (apud quem pecunia publica resedit).
-Amyclaean marbles. (Ml~emoirs relating to Tumley, The penalty under this Lex, on conviction, was a
edited by Walpole, p. 452.) third part of the sum retained. The punishment
The principal use of the comb was for dressing which was originally aquae et ignis interdictio, was
the hair (Ovid. Amo-. i. 14. 15, Met. xii. 409), changed into Deportatio under the Empire: the
in doing which the Greeks of both sexes were re- offender lost all his rights, and his property was
markably careful and diligent. (Herod. vii. 208.) forfeited. (Inst. 4, tit. 18. ~ 9.) Under the EamTo go with uncombed hair was a sign of affliction. pire sacrilege was punished with death. A " Sa(Soph. Oed. Col. 1257.) crilegus" is one who plunders public sacred
A comb with iron teeth was used in corn-fields places. (Rein, Das Criminalrechlt der Wiiner,
to separate the grain from the straw, whilst it p. 672.) [G. L.]
was yet standing. (Col. de Re Rust. ii. 21.) This PECU'LIO, ACTIO DE. [SERvus.]
method of reaping was called pectinare segetenz. PECU'LIUM. [SERvus.]
A painting in the sepulchral grotto of El Kab in PECU'LIUM CASTRENSE. [PATRIA Po-Egypt represents a man combing flax for the pur- TESTaS.]
pose of separating the linseed from the stem. The PECU'NIA. [NusIesus.]
rake used in making hay is called rares pecten PECU'NIA. [HERES, P. 598, a.]
(Ovid. Rein. Amor. 192), because its teeth are far PECU/NIACERTA. [OnLIGATIoNE,, p. 818.]
apart; but this may be only a poetical use of the PECU'NIAE REPETUNDAE. [REPE,.
term. TUNDAE.]
Two portions of the Greek lyre were called the PEDA'NEUS JUDEX. [JUvDE PEDANEUS.]
combs (Eratosth. Cataster. 24); they may have PEDA'RII. [SENATUS.]
been two rows of pegs, to which the strings were PEDI'SEQUI, a class of slaves, whose duty
tied. The use of the comb in weaving, and the was to follow their master when he went out of
transference of its name to the plectrum, are ex- his house. This name does not appear to have
plained under TELA. [J'. Y.] been given to any slave, who accompanied his
PECUA'RII, the name given to persons who master; but the pedisequi seem to halve formed a
pastured their cattle on the public lands (pascuZ), special class, which was almost the lowest of all.
for which they were bound to pay a tax to the (Nep. Attic. 13; Plaut. 1llI. Glor. iv. 2. 18.)
state, called SCRIPTUJA. But in the earlier times There was a similar class of female slaves, called
of the republic many persons supported their cattle pediseqiuae. (Plaut. Asin. i. 3. 31.) Compare
on the public pastures without paying this tax at Becker, Galluts, vol. i. p. 101.
all, or paying less than was legally due; and hence PEDUM (iop6v e, AcyomgoAos, Theocrit. vii. 43,
the word pecuarii was frequently employed to 128), a crook. The accompanying woodcut is
signify those persons who thus illegally made use taken from a painting found at Civita Vecchia.
of the public pastures. They were often prose- (Ant. d'Ercolano, vol. iii. tav. 53.) It shows the
cuted by the aediles and fined (Ov. Fast. v. 283294; Liv. x. 23, 47, xxxiii. 42, xxxv. 10; Festus, p. 238, ed. MIiiller.)
PECULA'TUS is properly the misappropriation
or theft of public property (pecunia publica),
whether it wals done by a functionary or by a i
private person. Labeo defines it thus, " pecuniae
publicae anut sacrae furtum, non ab eo factum,
cljus pericnulo est." The person guilty of thlis
oftence was Peculator. Cicero (de Off: iii. 18) / i'.k
enumerates Peculatores with sicarii, venefici, testamentarii and fures. The origin of the word ap- I,
pears to be Pecus, a term which originally denoted 1 [?
that kind of movable property which was the chief i, iC
sign of wealth. Originally trials for Peculatus wvere/
before the Populus, or before the Senate. (Liv. v. J/ -
32, xxxvii. 57, xxxviii. 54.) In the time of t _.Cicero matters of peculatus were one of the Quaes