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

JUSTITIUM.

219

LApEUNA.

nation, a victim (a pig- or a lamb) was in the
early times always sacrificed by the fetialis
(whence the expressions foedus icere, opxia
riixvuv), and the priest while pronouncing
the oath probably touched the victim or the
altar. The jus fetiale, however, fell into dis-
use as the Romans extended their conquests;
and as in most cases of treaties with foreign
nations, the Romans were not the party that
chose to promise anything on oath, we hear
no more of oaths on their part. At first the
Romans were very scrupulous in observing
their oaths in contracts or treaties with fo-
reigners, and even with enemies; but from
the third Punic war to the end of the re-
public, perjury was common among the Ro-
mans in their dealings with foreigners as
well as among themselves.—III. Oaths or
various modes of swearing in common life.
The practice of swearing in ordinary conver-
sations, was as common among the Romans
as among the Greeks. The forms used were
sometimes simple invocations of one or more
gods, as Hercte or Mehercle, that is, ita me
Hercules juvet, amet, or servet; Pol, Perpol
or Acdcpol, that is, per Pollucem; per Jovem
Lapidem or simply per Jovem; per saperos;
per deos immortales; medius fidius, that is,
ita me Dius (At'os) filius juvet; ita me deus
amet, or dii ament. Women as well as men
swore by most of the gods; but some oaths
were peculiar to one of the sexes. Thus wo-
men never swore by Hercules, and men never
by Castor. Sometimes oaths were accompa-
nied with an execration, in case the swearer
was stating a falsehood : asDii meperdant; dii
me interfician t; dispercam ; nevivam; ne sal-
mis sim, &c.—IV. Oaths taken before the prae-
tor or in courts of justice. There might be a
jusjurandum either injure or injudicio. The
jusjurandum in jure is the oath which one
party proposed to his adversary (detulit) that
he should make about the matter in dispute;
and the effect of the oath being taken or re-
fused was equivalent to a judicium. The
jusjurandum in judicio (jusjurandum judi-
ciale) was required by the judex, and not by
either of the parties, though either of the
parties might suggest it.

JUSTITIUM, a cessation of public business
of every kind. Thus the courts of law and
the treasury were shut up, no ambassadors
were received in the senate, and no auctions
took place. The Justitium was proclaimed
(cdiccrc, indiccre) by the senate and the ma-
gistrates in times of public alarm and danger;
and after confidence and tranquillity had
been restored, the Justitium was removed
[remitters, exuere) by the same authorities.
As such times of alarm are usually accompa-
nied with general sorrow, a Justitium came

in course of time to be ordained as a mark of
public mourning, and under the empire was
only employed for this reason.

JUVENALIA, or JUVENALES LUDI,
scenic games instituted by Nero, in a. n. 59,
in commemoration of his shaving his beard
for the first time, thus intimating that he
had passed from youth to manhood. He was
then in the twenty-second year of his age.
These games were not celebrated in the circus,
but in a private theatre erected in a pleasure-
ground (nanus), and consisted of every kind
of theatrical performance, Greek and Roman
plays, mimetic pieces, and the like. The Ju-
venalia continued to be celebrated by subse-
quent emperors, but not on the same occa-
sion. The name was given to those games
which were exhibited by the emperors on the
1st of January in each year. They no longer
consisted of scenic representations, but of
chariot races and combats of wild beasts.

LABARUM. [Signa Militaria.]
LAB-RUM. [Balneum.]
LABYRINTHUS (AajSup^flos), a labyrinth,
a large and complicated subterraneous cavern
witli numerous and intricate passages, similar
to those of a mine. The earliest and most
renowned labyrinth was that of Egypt, which
lay beyond lake Moeris. It had 3000 apart-
ments, 1500 under ground, and the same
number above it, and the whole was sur-
rounded by a wall. It was divided into courts,
each of which was surrounded by colonnades
of white marble. The second labyrinth men-
tioned by the ancients was that of Crete, in
the neighbourhood of Cnossus, where the Mi-
notaur is said to have dwelt. Although the
Cretan labyrinth is very frequently men-
tioned by ancient authors, yet none of them
speaks of it as an eyewitness. It was pro-
bably some natural cavern in the neighbour-
hood of Cnossus. A third labyrinth, the con-
struction of which belongs to a more historical
age, was that in the island of Lemnos. A
fabulous edifice in Etruria is also mentioned,
to which Pliny applies the name of labyrinth.
It is described as being in the neighbourhood
of Clusium, and as the tomb of Lar Porsena;
but no writer says that he ever saw it, or re-
mains of it.

LACERXA (fxai'5i/«, navSvT)), a cloak worn
by the Romans over the toga. It differed
from the paenula in being an open garment
like the Greek pallium, and fastened on
the right shoulder by means of a buckle
(fibula), whereas the paenula was what is
called a vestimenium clausum with an open-
ing for the head. The Lacenia appears to