Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

ACTOR.

6

ADOLESCENS.

ft judex might be demanded. The forms of
ine except to, also, were contained in the prae-
tor's edict, or, upon hearing the facts, the
praetor adapted the plea to the case. The
plaintiff might reply to the defendant's ex-
ceptio. The plaintiff's answer was called
replicatio. If the defendant answered the
replicatio, his answer was called duplicatio ;
and the parties might go on to the triplicatio
and quadruplicatio, and even further, if the
matters in question were such that they
could not otherwise be brought to an issue.
A person might maintain or defend an action
by his eognitor or procurator, or, as we should
BaJL by his attorney. The plaintiff and de-
fendant used a certain form of words in ap-
pointing a eognitor, and it would appear that
the appointment was made in the presence of
both parties. The eognitor needed not to be
present, and his appointment was complete
when by his acts he had signified his assent.
When the cause was brought to an issue, a
judex or judices might be demanded of the
praetor, who named or appointed a judex,
and delivered to him the formula, which con-
tained his instructions. The judices were
said dari or addict. So far the proceedings
were said to be in jure: the prosecution of
the actio before the judex requires a separate
discussion. [Judkx.]

ACTOR, signified generally a plaintiff. In
a civil or private action, the plaintiff was
often called pctitor; in a public action [causa
publico), he was called accusator. The de-
fendant was called reus, both in private and
public causes : this term, however, according
to Cicero, might signify either party, as in-
deed we might conclude from the word itself.
In a private action the defendant was often
called adversarius, but either party might be
called adrersarius with respect to the other.
Wards brought their actions by their guar-
dian or tutor. Peregrini, or aliens, originally
brought their action through their patronus ;
but afterwards in their own name, by a fic-
tion of law, that they were Roman citizens.
A Roman eiti/en might also generally bring
his action by means of a eognitor or procu-
rator. [Actio.] Actor has also the sense of
an agent or manager of another's busine-s
generally. The actor publicus was an officer
who had the superintendence or care of
slaves and property belonging to the state.

ACTUARIAL NAVES, transport-vessels,
seem to have been built in a lighter style
than the ordinary ships of burden, from which
they also differed in being always furnished
with oars, whereas the others were chiefly
propelled by sails.

ACTUAR'lI, short-hand writers, who took
down the speeches in the senate and the pub-

lic assemblies. In the debate in the Roman
senate upon the punishment of those who had
been concerned in the conspiracy of Catiline,
we find the first mention of short-hand
writers, who were employed by Cicero to
take down the speech of Cato.

ACTUS, a Roman measure of length, also
called actus quadratus, was equal to half a
jugerum, or 14,400 square Roman feet. The
actus minimus, or simplex, was 120 feet long,
and four broad, and therefore equal to 480
square Roman feet. Actus was also used to
signify a bridle-way.

ACUS (PeAonj, fizKovk, pace's), a needle, a
pin. Pins were made not only of metal, but
also of wood, bone, and ivory. They were
used for the same purposes as with us, and
also in dressing the hair. The mode of plat-
ting the hair, and then fastening it with a
pin or needle, is shown in the annexed figure
of a female head. This fashion has been
continued to our own times by the females of
Italy.

Acus. (Monti'aucon, Ant. Exp., Supp1-^ Uu 3.)

ADDICTI. [Nksx.]

ADFINES. [Affixes.]

ADLECTI, or ALLECTI, those persons
under the empire who were admitted to the
privileges and honours of the praetorship,
quaestorship, aedileship, and other public
offices, without having any duties to perform.
The senators called adlecti seem to have been
the same as the conscripti.

ADLOCUTIO. [Allocutio.]

ADMISSlONALES, chamberlains at the im-
perial court, who introduced persons into the
presence of the emperor. They were divided
into four classes; the chief officer of each
class was called proximus admissionum; and
the proximi were under the magister admis-
sionum. Their duty was called officium ad-
missionis. They were usually freedmen.

ADOLESCENS, was applied in the Roman
law to a person from the end of his twelfth
or fourteenth to the end of his twenty-fifth
year, during which period a person was also
called adult us. The word adolescens, how-
ever, is frequently used in a less strict sense