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

VESTALES. VESTALES. 1189
crime was punished capitally in the case of persons Epist. v. 31, c. Ssnmmncch. and the remarks of Lipof lower rank (hzumiliores), who were exposed to sius.)
wild beasts, but persons of higher rank (altiores) They were originally chosen (capere is the techwere condemned to the deportatio in insulam. nical word) by the king (Liv. i. 3. 20;- Dionys.
(Dig. I. c.) 11. cc.) and during the republic and empire by the
The word Veneficium was also applied to potions, Pontifex Maximus. It was necessary that the
incantations, &c. (Cic. Brsut. 60; Petron. 118); maiden should not be under six nor above ten
whence we find Yeneficus and Venefica used in the years of age, perfect in all her limbs, in the full
sense of a sorcerer and sorceress in general. enjoyment of all her senses, patrima et matrima
VER SACRUM (&Eos iep6v). It was a custom [PATRIsMI], the daughter of free and freeborn paamong the early Italian nations, especially among rents who had iever been in slavery, who followed
the Sabines, in times of great danger and distress, no dishonourable occupation, and whose home was
to vow to the deity the sacrifice of every thing born in Italy. (Gell. i. 12.) The lex Papia ordained
in the next spring, that is between the first of that when a vacancy occurred the Pontifex MaxiMarch and the last day of April, if the calamity mus should naine at his discretion twenty qualified
under which they were labouring should- be re- damsels, one of whom was publicly (in concione)
moved. (Fest. s. i. Vetr sacrzne; Liv. xxii. 9, 10, fixed upon by lot, an exemption being granted in
xxxiv. 44; Strab. v. p. 172; Sisenna ap. NVon. xii. favour of such as had a sister already a vestal and:
18; Serv. ad Aen. vii. 796.) This sacrifice in the of the daughters of certain priests of a high class.:
early times comprehended both men and domestic (Gell. l. c.) The above law appears to have been
animals, and there is little doubt that in maly enacted in consequence of the unwillingness of
cases the vow was really carried into effect. But fathers to resign all control over a child, and this
in later times it was thought cruel to sacrifice so reluctance was manifested so strongly in later times
many innocent infants, and accordingly the follow- that in the age of Augustus libertinae were declared.
ing expedient was adopted. The children were eligible. (Dion Cass. lv. 22; Suet. Octav. 31.):
allowed to grow up, and in the spring of their The casting of lots moreover does not seem to have
twentieth or twenty-first year they were with been practised if any respectable person came forcovered faces driven across the frontier of their ward voluntarily and offered a daughter who fulnative country, whereupon they went whitherso- filled the necessary conditions. As soon as the
ever fortune or the deity might lead. them. Many election was concluded the Pontifex Maximus took
a colony had been founded by persons driven out the girl by the hand and addressed her in a solemn
in this manner; and the Marmertines in Sicily form preserved by Aulus Gellius from Fabius Pictor.:
were the descendants of such devoted persons. SAcERDoTEM. VESTALEM. QUAE. SACRA. FACIAT.
(Fest. 1. c. and s. v. aemsertismi; compare Dionys. QUAE. IOUS. SIET. SACERDOTEM. VESTALEM.
i. 16; Plin. H. N. iii. 18; Justin. xxiv. 4;. Liv. FACERE. PRO. POPULO. ROMANO. QUIRITIUM.
xxxiii. 44.) UTEI. QUAE. OPTIMA. LECOE. FOVIT. ITA. TE.
In the two historical instances in which the AMATA. CAPIo. where the title AMIATA seems
Romans vowed a ver sacrulm, that is, after the simply to signify " beloved one," and not to refer
battle of lake Trasi:menus and at the close of the as Gellius supposes to the name of one of the orisecond Punic war, the vow was confined to do- ginal Vestals, at least no, such name is to be found:
nestic animals, as was expressly stated in the vow. in the list of Plutarch alluded to above. After
(Liv. 1. c.; Plut. Fab. Max. 4.) [L. S.] these words were pronounced she was led away to
VERBE'NA. [SAGIlINA.] the atrium of Vesta, and lived thenceforward withVERBENA'RIUS. [FETIALIS.] in the sacred precincts under the special superin-.
VERNA. [SRavus, pp. 1038, 1040.] tendence and: control of the pontifical college.
VERSO IN REM ACTIO. [SEavus, p. 1038.] (Dionys. ii. 67; Liv. iv. 44, viii. 15; Plin. Ep.
VERSU'RA. [FENUIS, p. 527, a.] iv. 11; Suet. Octav. 31; Gell. i. 12.)
VERU, VERU/TUM. [IsasTA. p. 588,.b.] The period of service lasted for thirty years.
VESPAE, VESPILLO/NES. [FUNUS, p. During.the first ten the priestess was engaged ill
559, a.] learnings her mysterious duties, being termed disciVESTA'LES, the virgin priestesses of Vesta pula (Val. Max. i. 1.~ 7), during the next ten in
who ministered in her temple and watched the performing them, during the last ten in giving ineternal fire. Their existence at Alba Longa is structions- to the novices (Dionys. 1. c.; Plut. i. c.
connected with the earliest Roman traditions, for Senec. de vit. beat. 29), and so long as she was
Silvia the mother of Romulus. was a member of the thus employed she was bound by a solemn vow of
sisterhood (Liv. i. 20; Dionys. i. 76); their esta- chastity. But after the time specified was comblishment in the city, in common with almost all pleted she might, if she thought fit, throw off the
other matters connected with state religion, is ge- emblems of her office (Dionys. l. c.), unconsecrate
merally ascribed to Numa (Dionys. ii. 65; Plut. herself (exaueurare, Gell. vi. 7), retuln to the
Nuam. 10), who selected four (their names are world and even enter into the marriagre state.
given in Plutarch), two from.the Titienses and (Plut. 1. c;) Few however availed themselves of
two froun the Ramnes (Dionys. ii. 67; Festus, s. v. these privileges; those who did were said to have
Sex Vestae), and two more were subsequently lived in sorrow and remorse (as might indeed have
added from the Luceres, by Tarqulinius Priscus. ac- been expected from the habits they had fornced):
cording to one authority (Plut. leiz7n. 1. c.), by hence such a proceeding was considered ominous,
Servius Tullius according to another. (Dionys. iii. and the priestesses for the most part died as they
67.) This number of six remained unchangled at had lived in the service of the goddess. (Ta cit.
the time when'lutarch wrote, and the idea that Aisz. ii. 86; Inscrip. quoted by Gronov. ad 2'ccit.
it was afterwards increased to seven rests upon Agim2. iii. 64.)
very unsatisfactory evidence. (See idmnzoires de The senior sister was entitled estcalis laxir(na,
lz'.4e(deasie des [lscript. vol. iv. 1p. l);; A AmIbros. or T,rgyo i lz.t''imWn (Ovid.'oest, iv. 639; Suet. Jut.
4a C3