A Smaller Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities

Name: A Smaller Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities
Author: Smith, William

Smith, William

Classical dictionaries; Greece -- Antiquities; Rome -- Antiquities

called _Nota_ or _Notatio_, or _Animadversio Censoria_. In inflicting
it they were guided only by their conscientious convictions of
duty; they had to take an oath that they would act neither through
partiality nor favour; and in addition to this, they were bound in
every case to state in their lists, opposite the name of the guilty
citizen, the cause of the punishment inflicted on him,--_Subscriptio
censoria_. The consequence of such a nota was only _ignominia_ and
not infamia [INFAMIA], and the censorial verdict was not a _judicium_
or res _judicata_, for its effects were not lasting, but might be
removed by the following censors, or by a lex. A nota censoria was
moreover not valid, unless both censors agreed. The ignominia was
thus only a transitory capitis deminutio, which does not appear even
to have deprived a magistrate of his office, and certainly did not
disqualify persons labouring under it for obtaining a magistracy,
for being appointed as judices by the praetor, or for serving in the
Roman armies. This superintendence of the conduct of Roman citizens
extended so far, that it embraced the whole of the public and private
life of the citizens. Thus we have instances of their censuring
or punishing persons for not marrying, for breaking a promise of
marriage, for divorce, for bad conduct during marriage, for improper
education of children, for living in an extravagant and luxurious
manner, and for many other irregularities in private life. Their
influence was still more powerful in matters connected with the
public life of the citizens. Thus we find them censuring or punishing
magistrates who were forgetful of the dignity of their office or
guilty of bribery, as well as persons who were guilty of improper
conduct towards magistrates, of perjury, and of neglect of their
duties both in civil and military life. The punishments inflicted
by the censors are generally divided into four classes:--1. _Motio_
or _ejectio e senatu_, or the exclusion of a man from the number of
senators. This punishment might either be a simple exclusion from the
list of senators, or the person might at the same time be excluded
from the tribes and degraded to the rank of an aerarian. The censors
in their new lists omitted the names of such senators as they wished
to exclude, and in reading these new lists in public, passed over
the names of those who were no longer to be senators. Hence the
expression _praeteriti senatores_ is equivalent to _e senatu ejecti_.
2. The _ademptio equi_, or the taking away the equus publicus from
an eques. This punishment might likewise be simple, or combined
with the exclusion from the tribes and the degradation to the rank
of an aerarian. [EQUITES.] 3. The _motio e tribu_, or the exclusion
of a person from his tribe. If the further degradation to the rank
of an aerarian was combined with the motio e tribu, it was always
expressly stated. 4. The fourth punishment was called _referre in

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

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A Smaller Dictionary of Greek and Roman AntiquitiesSmith, William

History

A Smaller Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities

Smith, William

Classical dictionaries; Greece -- Antiquities; Rome -- Antiquities

called _Nota_ or _Notatio_, or _Animadversio Censoria_. In inflicting
it they were guided only by their conscientious convictions of
duty; they had to take an oath that they would act neither through
partiality nor favour; and in addition to this, they were bound in
every case to state in their lists, opposite the name of the guilty
citizen, the cause of the punishment inflicted on him,--_Subscriptio
censoria_. The consequence of such a nota was only _ignominia_ and
not infamia [INFAMIA], and the censorial verdict was not a _judicium_
or res _judicata_, for its effects were not lasting, but might be
removed by the following censors, or by a lex. A nota censoria was
moreover not valid, unless both censors agreed. The ignominia was
thus only a transitory capitis deminutio, which does not appear even
to have deprived a magistrate of his office, and certainly did not
disqualify persons labouring under it for obtaining a magistracy,
for being appointed as judices by the praetor, or for serving in the
Roman armies. This superintendence of the conduct of Roman citizens
extended so far, that it embraced the whole of the public and private
life of the citizens. Thus we have instances of their censuring
or punishing persons for not marrying, for breaking a promise of
marriage, for divorce, for bad conduct during marriage, for improper
education of children, for living in an extravagant and luxurious
manner, and for many other irregularities in private life. Their
influence was still more powerful in matters connected with the
public life of the citizens. Thus we find them censuring or punishing
magistrates who were forgetful of the dignity of their office or
guilty of bribery, as well as persons who were guilty of improper
conduct towards magistrates, of perjury, and of neglect of their
duties both in civil and military life. The punishments inflicted
by the censors are generally divided into four classes:--1. _Motio_
or _ejectio e senatu_, or the exclusion of a man from the number of
senators. This punishment might either be a simple exclusion from the
list of senators, or the person might at the same time be excluded
from the tribes and degraded to the rank of an aerarian. The censors
in their new lists omitted the names of such senators as they wished
to exclude, and in reading these new lists in public, passed over
the names of those who were no longer to be senators. Hence the
expression _praeteriti senatores_ is equivalent to _e senatu ejecti_.
2. The _ademptio equi_, or the taking away the equus publicus from
an eques. This punishment might likewise be simple, or combined
with the exclusion from the tribes and the degradation to the rank
of an aerarian. [EQUITES.] 3. The _motio e tribu_, or the exclusion
of a person from his tribe. If the further degradation to the rank
of an aerarian was combined with the motio e tribu, it was always
expressly stated. 4. The fourth punishment was called _referre in

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

A Smaller Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities

A Smaller Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities

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