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

COMITIA.

109

COMITIA.

buta might assemble either within or 'with-
out the city, but not farther from it than
1000 paces, because the power of the tri-
bunes did not extend farther. For elections
the Campus Martius was usually chosen, but
sometimes also the forum, the Capitol, or the
Circus Fiaminius. The presidents were com-
monly the tribunes, who were supported by
the aediles, and no matter could be brought
before the tribes without the knowledge and
consent of the tribunes. As the comitia tri-
buta, however, more and more assumed the
character of national assemblies, the higher
magistrates also sometimes acted as presi-
dents, though perhaps not without previously
obtaining the permission of the tribunes.
The preparations for the comitia tributa were
less formal and solemn than for those of the
centuries. In the case of elections, the can-
didates had to give in their names, and the
president communicated them to the people.
When a legislative measure was to be brought
before the assembly, a tribune made the
people acquainted with it in contiones, and
that on the three preceding nundines. The
same was the case when the people were to
meet as a court of justice. The auspicia
were not consulted for the comitia of the
tribes, but the spectio alone was sufficient,
and the tribunes had the right of ohnuntiatio.
In the comitia the tribune who had been
chosen to preside sat on the tribunal sup-
ported by his colleagues, and laid before the
people the subject of the meeting, concluding
with the words velitis,jubeatis Quirites. The
bill was never read by the tribune himself,
but by a praeco, and then began the debates,
in which persons might either oppose or re-
commend the measure, though private per-
sons had to ask the tribunes for permission
to speak. When the discussion was over the
president called upon the people ite in suffra-
yium, as at the comitia centuriata. They
then formed themselves into their tribes,
which, like the centuries, ascertained their
own votes in enclosures (septa). Which of
the 35 tribes was to give its vote first, was
determined by lot, and that tribe was called
praerogativa oi principium (the others were
termed jure vocatac). The vote of the first
tribe was given by some person of distinction
whose name was mentioned in the plebisci-
tum, if it was of a legislative nature. The
manner of collecting the votes was, on the
whole, the same as in the comitia centuriata.
The announcing of the result of the votes
was the renuntiatio. If it so happened that
two candidates had the same number of votes,
[he question was decided by drawing lots.
The circumstances which might cause the
meeting to break up and defer its business till

another day, are the same as those which
put an end to the comitia centuriata.

(4) Tlic comitia centuriata mixed with the
comitia tributa. — The Servian constitution
was retained unaltered so long as no great
change took place in the republic; but when
the coinage and the standard of property had
become altered, when the constitution of the
army had been placed on a different footing,
and, above all, when the plebeians began to
be recognized as a great and essential ele-
ment in the lloman state, it must have been
found inconvenient to leave to the equites and
the first class so great a preponderance in
the comitia of the centuries, and it became
necessary to secure more power and influence
to the democratic element. A change, there-
fore, took place, and the comitia centuriata
became mixed with the comitia tributa; but
neither the time nor the exact nature of this
change is accurately ascertained. Some refer
it to the cen-orshipof C. Fiaminius, b. c. 220,
others to that of Q. Fabius and P. Decius,
b. c. 304. But there is evidence that it must
be assigned to even an earlier date than this,
for the (tribus) praerogativa is mentioned as
earl}T as b. c. 39G in the election of the con-
sular tribunes, where the pure comitia tri-
buta cannot be meant, and a centuria praero-
gativa is a thing unknown. With regard to
the manner of the change, the most probable
opinion is, 'that the citizens of each tribe were
divided into five property classes, each con
sisting of seniores and juniores, so that each
of the 35 tribes contained ten centuries, and
all the tribes together 350 centuries. Accord-
ing to this new arrangement, the five ancient
classes, divided into seniores and juniores,
continued to exist as before, but henceforth
they were most closely united with the tribes,
whereas before the tribes had been mere
local divisions and entirely independent of
property. The union now effected was that
the classes became subdivisions of the tribes,
and that accordingly centuries occur both in
the classes and in thp tribes. Each tribe con-
tained ten centuries, two of the first class
(one of the seniores and one of the juniores),
two of the second (likewise seniores and
juniores), two of the third, two of the fourth,
and two of the fifth class. The equites were
likewise divided according to tribes and cen-
turies, and they seem to have voted with the
first class, and to have been in fact included
in it, so as to be called centuries of the first
class. The centuries of the cornicines, tubi-
cines and fabri, which are no longer men-
tioned, probably ceased to exist as distinct
centuries. The voting by tribes can hardly
be conceived, except in those cases in which
the ten centuries of every tribe w ere unani