CHA P. IX.

The proper meaning of " religiofus ;" the various fignifications to which it is applied: the words of Nigidius Figulus on this fubje&t, taken from his Commentaries.

IGIDIUS Figulus, who next to M. Varro was, I think, the most learned of men, in his eleventh book of Grammatical Commentaries, recites a verse, from an old poem, which deferves to be remembered:

"Religentem effe oportet, religiofum nefas." Whose this verse is he does not fay, but in the fame place he obferves-" This is the invariable purport of fuch kinds of words as vinofus, mulierofus, religiofus, nummofus, fignifying always the excess of what is in queftion. For which reafon he was called religiofus who had bound himself by an intemperate and fuperftitious regard to religion, which

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* Religentem.]—The meaning of this verse seems to be, “ We ought to be attentive to the duties of religion, without being fuperftitious;" or, perhaps otherwife, thus-" We ought to entertain a rational fear of the deity, and not a fuperftitious fear."

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Signifying excefs.]-This must be conceded with some exception. See on this subject the Adverfarii of Barthin, p. 1647. -With respect to the examples here specified, it is, I believe, true, unless of religiofus. This word is considered as fynonymous with pius by Gataker, in his Opera Critica, p. 316.

thing was imputed to him as a fault."-But befides what Nigidius has faid, religiofus, by another change of meaning, began to be used for a chafte perfon, and one who confined himself by certain laws and limits. In like manner these words, which have the fame origin, feem to have a different fignification, religiofi dies and religiofa delubra: religiofi dies are those which are infamous, or clogged with fome ill omen, on which it was not deemed expedient to engage in divine things, or commence any new bufinefs, which days, à multitude of ignorant people abfurdly and falfely call nefafti. Therefore Cicero, in the ninth book of his Epiftles to Atticus, fays* Our ancestors confidered the day of the battle of Allia as more unfortunate than that when the city was taken, because this latter calamity was the confequence of the former. The one day, therefore, is religiofus, the other not commonly known." -But the fame Cicero, in his Oration about the appointment of an accufer, ufes the expreffion of religiofa delubra, not as ominous and calamitous, but as full of dignity and veneration. But Maffurius Sabinus, in his Commentaries de Indigenis, fays-" Religiofum is that which, on account of a certain fanctity, is remote and feparated from us, the word cóming a reliquendo, as cærimoniæ a carendo."-According

3 Allia.]—This river flowed into the Tiber, at the distance of about ninety miles from Rome. In this place the Roman legions were defeated by the Gauls, under the command of Bren nus. Virgil, in his feventh Æneid, calls the Allia an inauspi

cious name:

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Quofque fecans infauftum interluit Allia nomen,"

to

to this interpretation of Sabinus, those temples and fhrines are religiofa, which are to be approached, not vulgarly nor rafhly, but chastely and reverently, as inspiring awe and veneration, and by no means to be profaned. Those days are termed religiofi, which, from a contrary reason, we pass by on account of their being unfortunately ominous. For which reafon Terence, in his Self-tormentor, fays-" Then by way of gift I have only-well, well: for to tell her I have nothing, I religiously avoid."

But if, as Nigidius obferves, all words of this termination fignify excess, and have therefore a bad fense, as vinofus, mulierofus, verbosus, morofus, famofus, why not then, ingeniofus, formofus, and officiofus, with fpeciofus, which come from ingenium, forma, officium, why not alfo difciplinofus, confiliofus, victoriofus, which M. Cato has fo written? and why not too, facundiofa, which Sempronius Afellio, in his thirteenth book of Annals, has thus used: "Facta fua fpectari oportere, non dicta, fi minus facundiofa effent;" why, I fay, are all these applied, not in a bad but contrary sense, although they respectively fignify excess of that which they exprefs? Is it because a certain neceffary limit must be proposed to the words I first adduced? For it may be faid of gallantry, if exceffive and immoderate; of manners, if too various; of words, if perpetual, infinite, and obtrufive; of fame, if too great, reftlefs, and

Terence.]-Terence, in a fubfequent paffage, uses the term religiofus in a bad sense :--

"Ut ftultæ et miferæ omnes fumus

Religiofæ."

VOL. I.

S

invidious;

invidious; that they are neither praiseworthy nor useful. But neither genius, duty, beauty, discipline, counfel, victory, nor eloquence, can be circumscribed by any limits, for the greater and more extenfive they are, by fo much the more are they entitled to praise.

CHAP. X.

The order of afking opinions, as obferved in the fenate. Difpute in the fenate between Caius Cæfar the conful, and Marcus Cato, who confumed the whole day in Speaking.

EFORE the law which is now obferved in holding the fenate, the order of taking the votes varied'. Sometimes his opinion was first asked

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Taking the votes varied.]-Every thing relating to the Roman fenate is accurately and elegantly mentioned by Middleton in the tract abovementioned. Originally it was the custom for the conful firft to fpeak himself on the fubject introduced, and then to ask the opinions of the fenators by name, beginning with those of the highest rank. In the later ages of Rome, the conful paid the compliment to whomsoever he thought proper. Gellius treats more at length on this head, Book XIV. chap. vii. It appears that this compliment extended only to a few of the conful's more intimate friends, or near relations, and that afterwards the opinions of the fenators were regularly asked, according to their rank and seniority.

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who

who was firft chofen by the Cenfors to the fenate; fometimes theirs, who were the confuls elect; fome of the confuls, influenced by private attachment or connection, paid a compliment to fuch as they thought proper, by asking their fentiments firft, contrary to the ufual cuftom. It was nevertheless obferved, that when the ufual cuftom was not followed, the fentiment of no perfon was asked first, but of confular dignity. C. Cæfar, in the confulship which he held jointly with M. Bibulus, is faid to have asked the fentiments of four only, contrary to the usual custom. Of thefe four, the first he afked was M. Craffus, but after he had betrothed his daughter to Cneius Pompey, he began to put the queftion first to Pompey. Tiro, the freedman of Cicero, relates that he affigned the reason of this to the fenate, which he affirms that he had heard from his patron. This thing alfo Capito Ateius has recorded, in the book which he compofed on the Senatorial Office. In the fame book of Capito this alfo appears:-" Caius Cæfar the conful," he relates," asked the opinion of M. Cato. Cato was unwilling that the matter in queftion fhould be accomplished, because it did not feem falutary to the state. In order to protract the matter, he made a long oration, and was taking up the whole day in speaking. It was the privilege of every senator, when asked his opinion, to fay on every subject whatever he pleased, and as long as he liked. Cæfar

Whatever he pleased.]-Unlike the custom wifely established in our houses of parliament, a fenator of ancient Rome, when VOL. I. S 2 called