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

INOA.

213

IXTERREX.

penalty at 25 asses. These penalties were
afterwards considered to be insufficient; and
the injured person was allowed by the prae-
tor to claim such damages as he thought that
he was entitled to, and the judex might give
the full amount or less. Infamia was a con-
sequence of condemnation in an actio Inju-
riarum.

INOA (ivaa), festivals celebrated in several
parts of Greece, in honour of Ino.

INQtJILINCS. [Exsiliuti.]

INSTITA (TrepiTrdSioi'), a flounce; a fillet.
The Roman matrons sometimes wore a broad
fillet with ample folds, sewed to the bottom
of the tunic and reaching to the instep. The
use of it indicated a superior regard to de-
cency and propriety of manners.

INSULA was, properly, a house not joined
to the neighbouring houses by a common
wall. An insula, however, generally con-
tained several separate houses, or at least
separate apartments or shops, which were let
to different families ; and hence the word
domus under the emperors seems to be ap-
plied to the house where a family lived,
whether it were an insula or not, and insula
to any hired lodgings.

INTEKCESSIO was the interference of a
magistratus to whom an appeal [Aitellatio]
was made. The object of the intercessio was
in put a stop to proceedings, on the ground
of informality or other sufficient cause. Any
magistratus might intercedere, who was of
equal rank with or of rank superior to the
magistratus from or against whom the appel-
latio was. Cases occur in which one of the
praetors interposed (intercessit) against the
proceedings of his colleague. The intercessio
is most frequently spoken of with reference
to the tribunes, who originally had not juris-
dictio, but used the intercessio for the pur-
pose of preventing wrong which was offered
to a person in their presence. The intercessio
of the tribunes of the plebs was auxilium,
and it might be exercised either in jure or
in judicio. The tribune qui intercessit could
prevent a judicium from being instituted.
The tribunes could also use the intercessio to
prevent execution of a judicial sentence. A
single tribune could effect this, and against
the opinion of his colleagues.

INTERCISI DIES. [Dies.]

INTERDICTUM. " In certain cases (cer-
tis ex causis) the praetor or proconsul, in the
first instance (principaliter), exercises his
authority for the termination of disputes.
This he chiefly does when the dispute is
about possession or quasi-possession; and the
exercise of his authority consists in ordering
something to be done, or forbidding some-
thing to be done. The formulae and the

terms, which he uses on such occasions, are
called either interdict a or dccreta. They are
called decrcta when he orders something to
be done, as when he orders something to be
produced (exhiberi) or to be restored : they
are called intcrdicta when he forbids some-
thing to be done, as when he orders that
force shall not be used against a person who
is in possession rightfully (sine vitio), or that
nothing shall be done on a piece of sacred
ground. Accordingly all intcrdicta are
either restitutoria, or exhibitoria, or prohi-
bitoria." This passage, which is taken from
Gains, the Roman jurist, contains the essen-
tial distinction between an actio and an inter-
diction. In the case of an actio, the praetor
pronounces no order or decree, but he gives
a judex, whose business it is to investigate
the matter in dispute, and to pronounce
a sentence consistently with the formula,
which is his authority for acting. In the
case of an actio, therefore, the praetor neither
orders nor forbids a thing to be done, but he
says, Judicium dabo. In the case of an inter-
dict, the praetor makes an order that some-
thing shall be done or shall not be done, and
his words are accordingly words of command ;
liestituas, Exhibeas, Vim fieri veto. This im-
mediate interposition of the praetor is appro-
priately expressed by the word principaliter.

INTERPRES, an interpreter. This class
of persons became very numerous and neces-
sary to the Romans as their empire extended.
In large mercantile towns the interpreters,
who formed a kind of agents through whom
business was done, were sometimes very
numerous. All Roman praetors, proconsuls,
and quaestors, who were entrusted with the
administration of a province, had to carry on
all their official proceedings in the Latin lan-
guage, and as they could not be expected to
be acquainted with the language of the pro-
vincials, they had always among their ser-
vants [Apparitores] one or more interpreters,
who were generally Romans, but in most
cases undoubtedly freedmen. These inter-
preters had not only to officiate at the conventus
[Convextes], but also explained to the Roman
governor everything which the provincials
might wish to be laid before him.
INTERREGNUM. [Interrex.]
INTERREX. This office is said to have
been instituted on the death of Romulus,
when the senate wished to share the sovereign
power among themselves, instead of electing
a king. For this purpose, according to Livy,
the senate, which then consisted of one hun-
dred members, was divided into ten decuries ;
and from each of these decuries one senator
was nominated. These together formed a
board of ten, with the title of Interregen,