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

MANUBIAE.

248

MARTYRIA.

the mansiones were at the same distance from
one another as on those of the Persian empire,
where such resting-places (khans or caravan-
scras) were first provided, viz. at intervals of
about 20 English miles. They were originally
called castra, being probably mere places of en-
campment formed by making earthen entrench-
ments. In process of time they included, not
only barracks and magazines of provisions (hor-
rea) for the troops, but commodious buildings
adapted for the reception of travellers of all
ranks, and even of the emperor himself, if he
should have occasion to visit them. At those
stations the cisiarii kept gigs for hire and for
conveying government despatches. [Cisrun ;
Essedum.] The mansio was under the super-
intendence of an officer called mansionarius.

MAXUBIAE. [Spolia.]

MANUMISSIO was the form by which
slaves were released from slavery. There
were three modes by which this was effected,
namely, Vindicta, Census, and Testamentum.
Of these the manumissio by vindicta is pro-
bably the oldest, and perhaps was onee the
only mode of manumission. It is mentioned
by Livy as in use at an early period ; and,
indeed, he states that some persons refer the
origin of the vindicta to the event which he
relates, and derive its name from Yindicius ;
the latter part, at least, of the supposition is
of no value. The ceremony of the manu-
missio by the vindicta was as follows :—The
master brought his slave before the magis-
trate, and stated the grounds (causa) of the
intended manumission. The lictor of the
magistratus laid a rod (festuca) on the head
of the slave, accompanied with certain formal
words, in which he declared that he was a
free man ex jure quiritium, that is, vindicavit
in libertatem. The master in the meantime
held the slave, and after he had pronounced
the words hunc homiticm liberum volo, he
turned him round and let him go (emisit e
manu), whence the general name of the act
of manumission. The word vindicta itself,
which is properly the res rindicata, is used
for festuca by Horace. In the case of the
census the slave was registered by the censors
as a citizen with his master's consent. The
third mode of manumission was, when a
master gave liberty to a slave by his will
(testamentum). The act of manumission
established the relation of patronus and
libertus between the manumissor and the
manumitted. When manumitted by a citizen,
the libertus took the praenomen and the gen-
tile name of the manumissor, and became in
a sense a member of the gens of his patron.
To these two names he added some other
name as a cognomen, either some name by
which he was previously known, or some

name assumed on the occasion : thus we find
the names M. Tullius Tiro, P. Terentius Afer,
and other like names. The relation between
a patronus and libertus is stated under Pa-
tkonus. Before the year b. c. 311, the liber-
tini had not the suffragium, but in that year
the censor Appius Claudius gave the libertini s
place in the tribes, and from this time the
libertini had the suffragium after they were
duly admitted on the censors' roll. In the
year b. c. 304, they were placed in the tribu
urbanae, and not allowed to perform militar
service. In the censorship of Tiberius Grac
chus, b. c. 169, they were placed in one
the tribus urbanae, determined by lot. Sub-
sequently, by a law of Aemilius Scaurus,
about b. c. 116, they were restored to th
four city tribes, and this remained their con
dition to the end of the republic, though
various attempts were made to give them
better suffrage. A tax was levied on manu
mission by a lex Manlia, b.c. 357 : it con
sisted of the twentieth part of the value i
the slave, hence called Viccsima.
MANUS FERREA. [Harpago.]
MARSUPITJM (p.ap<ruVioj>, /SaAavTiov), a
purse. The purse used by the ancients was
commonly a small leathern bag, and was
often closed by being drawn together at the
mouth (tjva-rracrra. fSoXavna). Mercury is
commonly represented holding one in his
hand. (See cut, p. 63.)

MARTYRIA (/uapnipia), signifies strictly
the deposition of a witness in a court of jus-
tice, though the word is applied metaphori-
cally to all kinds of testimony. At Athens
none hut freemen could be witnesses. The
incapacity of women may be inferred from
the general policy of the Athenian law, and
the absence of any example in the orators
where a woman's evidence is produced. The
same observation applies to minors. Slaves
were not allowed to give evidence, unless
upon examination by torture (/3acraTOs). Citi-
zens who had been disfranchised (ijTip.ufj.erot)
could not appear as witnesses (any more than
as jurors or plaintiffs) in a court of justice ;
for they had lost all honourable rights and
privileges. But there was no objection to
alien freemen. The party who desired the evi-
dence of a witness, summoned him to attend
for that purpose. The summons was called
irpocr/cATjiTt;. If the witness promised to
attend and failed to do so, he was liable to an
action called cukt; Aei77op-apTupi'oi\ Whether
he promised or not, he was bound to attend,
and if his absence caused inj ury to the party,
he was liable to an action (81107 ^Aa/3rj;). The
attendance of the witness was first required
at the ara/cpicri?, where he was to make his
deposition before the superintending magU-