[39] The edict of Antoninus Pius is contained in L. 6, § 2, D. _de excusat._ 27. l: the number of philosophers is not prescribed, “quia rari sunt qui philosophantur:” and if they make stipulations about pay, “inde iam manifesti fient non philosophantes.” The nature of the immunities is described, _ibid._ § 8: “a ludorum publicorum regimine, ab ædilitate, a sacerdotio, a receptione militum, ab emtione frumenti, olei, et neque judicare neque legatos esse neque in militia numerari nolentes neque ad alium famulatum cogi.” The immunities were sometimes further extended to the lower classes of teachers, e.g. the _ludi magistri_ at Vipascum in Portugal: cf. Hübner and Mommsen in the _Ephemeris Epigraphica_, vol. iii. pp. 185, 188. For the regulations of the later empire, see _Cod. Theodos._ 14. 9, _de studiis liberalibus urbis Romæ et Constantinopolitanæ_; and for a good popular account of the whole subject, see G. Boissier, _L’instruction publique dans l’empire Romain_, in the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, mars 15, 1884. [40] Lucian’s _Convivium_ is a humorous and satirical description of such a dinner. The philosopher reads his discourse from a small, finely-written manuscript, c. 17. The _Deipnosophistæ_ of Athenæus, and the _Quæstiones Conviviales_ of Plutarch, are important literary monuments of the practice. [41] An interesting corroboration of the literary references is afforded by the mosaic pavement of a large villa at Hammâm Grous, near Milev, in North Africa, where “the philosopher’s apartment,” or “chaplain’s room” (_filosophi locus_), is specially marked, and near it is a lady (the mistress of the house?) sitting under a palm-tree. (The inscription is given in the _Corpus Inscr. Lat._ vol. viii. No. 10890, where reference is made to a drawing of the pavement in Rousset, _Les Bains de Pompeianus_, Constantine, 1879). [42] Lucian, _de merc. cond._ 32. [43] _Ib._ 34. [44] _Ib._ 36. [45] _Ib._ 38. [46] _Timon_, 50, 51. [47] _Profiteri_, _professio_, are the Latin translations of ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι, ἐπαγγελία: the latter words are found as early as Aristotle in connection with the idea of teaching, τὰ δὲ πολιτικὰ ἐπαγγέλλονται μὲν διδάσκειν οἱ σοφισταὶ πράττει δ’ αὐτῶν οὐδείς, Arist. _Eth. N._ 10. 10, p. 1180 _b_, and apparently τοὺς ἐπαγγελλομέvους is used absolutely for “professors” in _Soph. Elench._ 13, p. 172 _a_. The first use of _profiteri_ in an absolute sense in Latin is probably in Pliny, e.g. _Ep._ 4. 11. 1, “audistine V. Licinianum in Sicilia profiteri,” “is teaching rhetoric.” [48] See note on p. 33: an early use of _prælegere_ in this sense is Quintil. 1. 8. 13.