I was formerly of opinion, that this was a mere translation from the Greek; for, Euclio represents an _ærarius_, and what had he to do with a cury? But it is rather a Roman state of things: some property has accrued by death to the cury, and this inheritance is divided _viritim_.[104] In the same manner, the plebeians may have had gentilician inheritances, which at last fell in to the tribes; if, however, there was a will, the _exercitus vocatus_, that is to say the centuries, had to give their consent, because for making a will auguries had been requisite, which the tribes of the plebeians had not. A similar system of inheritance still exists to this day in the island of Fehmern, where there are two clans with Dittmarsch rights and customs. If any one belonging to them wishes to make his will, he is obliged to give the cousins a small sum, as compensation for the money which would properly be due to them. This has been kept up there, whilst in Dittmarsch it has become quite obsolete, nor have I anywhere among all the other clans in Germany found any trace of it; from which circumstance we may see, how of important general rights only a few scattered relics will oftentimes remain behind.--The curies might, of course, originally give a negative answer in the case of such a will; but when it was laid down in the Twelve Tables, _Paterfamilias uti legassit super pecunia tutelave suæ rei, ita jus esto_, it is clear that the consent was only _dicis causa_. This ordinance has had an immense influence on the Roman manners: yet it was necessary, because the _connubium_ of the two orders had not been permitted. Even the child of a plebeian by a patrician woman could not inherit by law, and therefore it was necessary to have a law of inheritance. When the prohibition of the _connubium_ was afterwards removed, the free disposition of property was still allowed, and in the later profligate ages, it gave rise to the most shameful abuse. That in early times such a tendency was already perceptible, is proved by the _Lex Furia testamentaria_, which I have good ground for placing about the year 450.