DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13855#0115
COMITTA.
107
COMITTA.
the standing- one in all comitia, and the whole
exposition of the president was called rogatio.
When the comitia were assembled for the
purpose of an election, the presiding magis-
trate had to read out the names of the candi-
dates, and might exercise his influence by
recommending the one whom he thought
most fit for the office in question. If the
assembly had been convened for the purpose
of passing a legislative measure, the president
usually recommended the proposal, or he
might grant to others, if they desired it, per-
mission to speak about the measure, either
in its favour or against it [Contionem dare).
When the comitia acted as a court of justice,
the president stated the crime, proposed the
punishment to be inflicted upon the offender,
and then allowed others to speak either in
defence of the accused or against him. When
the subject brought before the assembly was
sufficiently discussed, the president called
upon the people to prepare for voting by the
words, ite in suffragium, bene juvantibus diis.
lie then passed the stream I'etronia, and
went to the septa.— Respecting the mode of
voting, it is commonly supposed that the
people were always polled by word of mouth,
till the passing of the leges tabellariae about
the middle of the second century before
Christ, when the ballot by means of tabellae
was introduced. [Leges Tabellariae.] It
appears, however, that the popular assem-
blies voted by ballot, as well as by word of
mouth, long before the passing of the leges
tabellariae, but that instead of using tabellae,
they employed stones or pebbles (the Greek
ifjr)<f>oi)t and that each voter received two
stones, one white and the other black, the
former to be used in the approval and the
latter in the condemnation of a measure.
The voting by word of mouth seems to have
been adopted in elections and trials, and the
use of pebbles to have been confined to the
enactment and repeal of laws. Previous to
the leges tabellariae, the rogatores, who sub-
sequently collected the written votes, stood
at the entrance of the septa, and asked every
citizen for his vote, which was taken down,
and used to determine the vote of each cen-
tury. After the introduction of the ballot, if
the business was the passing of a law, each
citizen was provided with two tabellae, one
inscribed V. R. i. e. Uti Jlogas, " I vote for
the law," the other inscribed A. t. e. Antiquo,
" I am for the old law." If the business
was the election of a magistrate, each citizen
was supplied with only one tablet, on which
the names of the candidates were written, or
the initials of their names; the voter then
placed a mark (punctum) against the one for
whom he voted, whence puncta are spoken of
in the sense of votes, l'or further particu-
lars respecting the voting in the comitia, see
Diribitoees and Situla. In judicial assem-
blies every citizen was provided with three
tabellae, one of which was marked with A.
i. e. Absolvo, " I acquit;" the second with C.
i. e. Condemno, " I condemn ;" and the third
with N. L. i. e. Non Liquet, " It is not clear
to me." The first of these was called Tabella
absolutoria and the second Tabella damna-
toria, and hence Cicero calls the former lit era
salutaris, and the latter litera tristis.—There
were in the Campus Martius septa or inelo-
sures (whether they existed from the earliest
times is unknown), into which one class of
citizens was admitted after another for the
purpose of voting. The first that entered
were the eighteen centuries of the equites,
then followed the first class and so on. It
very rarely happened that the lowest class
was called upon to vote, as there was no ne-
cessity for it, unless the first class did not
agree with the equites. After the time when
the comitia of the centuries became amalga-
mated with those of the tribes, a large space
near the villa publica was surrounded with
an enclosure, and divided into compartments
for the several tribes. The whole of this en-
closure was called ovile, septa, carceres, or
cancelli; and in later times a stone building,
containing the whole people, was erected : it
was divided into compartments for the classes
as well as the tribes and centuries ; the ac-
cess to these compartments was formed by
narrow passages called ponies or ponticuli.
On entering, the citizens received their ta-
blets, and when they had consulted within
the enclosures, they passed out of them again
by a. pons or ponticulus, at which they threw
their vote into a chest (cista) which was
watched by rogatores. Hereupon the roga-
tores collected the tablets, and gave them to
the diribitores, who classified and counted the
votes, and then handed them over to the cus-
todes, who again checked them off by points
marked on a tablet. The order in which the
centuries voted was determined in the Ser-
vian constitution, in the manner described
above ; but after the union of the centuries
and tribes, the order was determined by lot;
and this was a matter of no slight import-
ance, since it frequently happened that the
vote of the first determined the manner in
which subsequent ones voted. In the case of
elections, the successful candidate was pro-
claimed twice, first by the praeco, and then
by the president, and without this renuntiatio
the election was not valid. After all the
business was done, the president pronounced
a prayer, and dismissed the assembly with
the word discedite.— Cases are frequently
107
COMITTA.
the standing- one in all comitia, and the whole
exposition of the president was called rogatio.
When the comitia were assembled for the
purpose of an election, the presiding magis-
trate had to read out the names of the candi-
dates, and might exercise his influence by
recommending the one whom he thought
most fit for the office in question. If the
assembly had been convened for the purpose
of passing a legislative measure, the president
usually recommended the proposal, or he
might grant to others, if they desired it, per-
mission to speak about the measure, either
in its favour or against it [Contionem dare).
When the comitia acted as a court of justice,
the president stated the crime, proposed the
punishment to be inflicted upon the offender,
and then allowed others to speak either in
defence of the accused or against him. When
the subject brought before the assembly was
sufficiently discussed, the president called
upon the people to prepare for voting by the
words, ite in suffragium, bene juvantibus diis.
lie then passed the stream I'etronia, and
went to the septa.— Respecting the mode of
voting, it is commonly supposed that the
people were always polled by word of mouth,
till the passing of the leges tabellariae about
the middle of the second century before
Christ, when the ballot by means of tabellae
was introduced. [Leges Tabellariae.] It
appears, however, that the popular assem-
blies voted by ballot, as well as by word of
mouth, long before the passing of the leges
tabellariae, but that instead of using tabellae,
they employed stones or pebbles (the Greek
ifjr)<f>oi)t and that each voter received two
stones, one white and the other black, the
former to be used in the approval and the
latter in the condemnation of a measure.
The voting by word of mouth seems to have
been adopted in elections and trials, and the
use of pebbles to have been confined to the
enactment and repeal of laws. Previous to
the leges tabellariae, the rogatores, who sub-
sequently collected the written votes, stood
at the entrance of the septa, and asked every
citizen for his vote, which was taken down,
and used to determine the vote of each cen-
tury. After the introduction of the ballot, if
the business was the passing of a law, each
citizen was provided with two tabellae, one
inscribed V. R. i. e. Uti Jlogas, " I vote for
the law," the other inscribed A. t. e. Antiquo,
" I am for the old law." If the business
was the election of a magistrate, each citizen
was supplied with only one tablet, on which
the names of the candidates were written, or
the initials of their names; the voter then
placed a mark (punctum) against the one for
whom he voted, whence puncta are spoken of
in the sense of votes, l'or further particu-
lars respecting the voting in the comitia, see
Diribitoees and Situla. In judicial assem-
blies every citizen was provided with three
tabellae, one of which was marked with A.
i. e. Absolvo, " I acquit;" the second with C.
i. e. Condemno, " I condemn ;" and the third
with N. L. i. e. Non Liquet, " It is not clear
to me." The first of these was called Tabella
absolutoria and the second Tabella damna-
toria, and hence Cicero calls the former lit era
salutaris, and the latter litera tristis.—There
were in the Campus Martius septa or inelo-
sures (whether they existed from the earliest
times is unknown), into which one class of
citizens was admitted after another for the
purpose of voting. The first that entered
were the eighteen centuries of the equites,
then followed the first class and so on. It
very rarely happened that the lowest class
was called upon to vote, as there was no ne-
cessity for it, unless the first class did not
agree with the equites. After the time when
the comitia of the centuries became amalga-
mated with those of the tribes, a large space
near the villa publica was surrounded with
an enclosure, and divided into compartments
for the several tribes. The whole of this en-
closure was called ovile, septa, carceres, or
cancelli; and in later times a stone building,
containing the whole people, was erected : it
was divided into compartments for the classes
as well as the tribes and centuries ; the ac-
cess to these compartments was formed by
narrow passages called ponies or ponticuli.
On entering, the citizens received their ta-
blets, and when they had consulted within
the enclosures, they passed out of them again
by a. pons or ponticulus, at which they threw
their vote into a chest (cista) which was
watched by rogatores. Hereupon the roga-
tores collected the tablets, and gave them to
the diribitores, who classified and counted the
votes, and then handed them over to the cus-
todes, who again checked them off by points
marked on a tablet. The order in which the
centuries voted was determined in the Ser-
vian constitution, in the manner described
above ; but after the union of the centuries
and tribes, the order was determined by lot;
and this was a matter of no slight import-
ance, since it frequently happened that the
vote of the first determined the manner in
which subsequent ones voted. In the case of
elections, the successful candidate was pro-
claimed twice, first by the praeco, and then
by the president, and without this renuntiatio
the election was not valid. After all the
business was done, the president pronounced
a prayer, and dismissed the assembly with
the word discedite.— Cases are frequently