DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13855#0296
PAUPERIES.
238
PELTA.
of the manumissor. Cicero's freedman Tiro
was called M. Tullius Tiro. The libertus
owed respect and gratitude to his patron, and
in ancient times the patron might punish
him in a summary way for neglecting those
duties. This obligation extended to the
children of the libertus, and the duty was
due to the children of the patron. It was
the duty of the patron to support his freed-
man in case of necessity, and if he did not,
he lost his patronal rights ; the consequence
was the same if he brought a capital charge
against him. The most important of the'
patronal rights related to the property of
liberti, as in certain cases the patronus had
a right to the whole or a part of the property
of a libertus.
PAUPERIES, the legal term for mischief
done by an animal (quadrupes) contrary to
the nature of the animal, as if a man's ox
gored another man. In such cases the law
of the Twelve Tables gave the injured person
an action against the owner of the animal
for the amount of the damage sustained.
The owner was bound either to pay the full
amount of damages or to give up the animal
to the injured person (noxae dare).
PAVIMENTUM. [Domvs, p. 144, b.]
PECTEN (ktci's), a comb. The Greeks and
Romans used combs made of box-wood. The
Egyptians had ivory combs, which also came
into use; by degrees among the Romans. The
wooden combs, found in Egyptian tombs, are
toothed on one side only; but the Greeks
used them with teeth on both sides. The
principal use of the comb was for dressing
the hair, in doing which the Greeks of both
sexes were remarkably careful and diligent.
To go with uncombed hair was a sign of
affliction.
PECULATUS, is properly the misappro-
priation or theft of public property. The
person guilty of this offence was peculator.
The origin of the word appears to be pecus,
a term which originally denoted that kind of
moveable property which was the chief sign of
wealth. Originally trials for peculatus were
before the populus or the senate. In the
time of Cicero matters of peculatus had be-
come one of the quaestiones perpetuae.
PECULIUM. [Servtts.]
PECUNIA. [Aks ; Akgentum ; Aurum.]
PEDARII. [Senatus.]
PEDISEQUI, a class of slaves, whose duty
was to follow their master when he went out
of his house. There was a similar class of
female slaves, called Pediscquae.
PEDUM (KopunjJ, a shepherd's crook. On
account of its connection with pastoral life,
the crook is often seen in works of ancient
art, in the hands of Pan, Satyrs, Fauns, and
shepherds. It was also the usual attribute
of Thalia, as the muse of pastoral poetry.
Pedum, Shepherd's Crook. (From a Painting found it
Civita Vecchia.)
PEG1IA (7nj-y|ixa), a pageant, i. e. an edifice
of wood, consisting of two or more stages
(tabulata), which were raised or depressed at
pleasure by means of balance weights. These
great machines were used in the Roman
amphitheatres, the gladiators who fought
upon them being called pegmarei. They were
supported upon wheels so as to be drawn
into the circus, glittering with silver and a
profusion of wealth. When Vespasian and
Titus celebrated their triumph over the Jews,
the procession included pageants of extraor-
dinary magnitude and splendour, consisting
of three or four stages above one another,
hung with rich tapestry, and inlaid with
ivory and gold. By the aid of various con-
trivances they represented battles and their
numerous incidents, and the attack and de-
fence of the cities of Judaea. The pegma
was also used in sacrifices. A bull having
been slain in one of the stages, the high
priest placed himself below in a cavern, so
as to receive the blood upon his person and
his garments, and in this state he was pro-
duced by the flamines before the worshippers.
PELA.TAE (rreAarai), were free labourers
working for hire, like the thetes, in contra-
distinction to the helots and penestae, who
were bondsmen or serfs. In the later Greek
writers, such as Dionysius of Halicarnassus,
and Plutarch, the word is used for the Latin
cliens, though the relations expressed by the
two terms are by no means similar.
PELTA (7re'AT)j), a small shield. Iphieratcs,
observing that the ancient Clipevs was cum-
brous and inconvenient, introduced among
the Greeks a much smaller and lighter
238
PELTA.
of the manumissor. Cicero's freedman Tiro
was called M. Tullius Tiro. The libertus
owed respect and gratitude to his patron, and
in ancient times the patron might punish
him in a summary way for neglecting those
duties. This obligation extended to the
children of the libertus, and the duty was
due to the children of the patron. It was
the duty of the patron to support his freed-
man in case of necessity, and if he did not,
he lost his patronal rights ; the consequence
was the same if he brought a capital charge
against him. The most important of the'
patronal rights related to the property of
liberti, as in certain cases the patronus had
a right to the whole or a part of the property
of a libertus.
PAUPERIES, the legal term for mischief
done by an animal (quadrupes) contrary to
the nature of the animal, as if a man's ox
gored another man. In such cases the law
of the Twelve Tables gave the injured person
an action against the owner of the animal
for the amount of the damage sustained.
The owner was bound either to pay the full
amount of damages or to give up the animal
to the injured person (noxae dare).
PAVIMENTUM. [Domvs, p. 144, b.]
PECTEN (ktci's), a comb. The Greeks and
Romans used combs made of box-wood. The
Egyptians had ivory combs, which also came
into use; by degrees among the Romans. The
wooden combs, found in Egyptian tombs, are
toothed on one side only; but the Greeks
used them with teeth on both sides. The
principal use of the comb was for dressing
the hair, in doing which the Greeks of both
sexes were remarkably careful and diligent.
To go with uncombed hair was a sign of
affliction.
PECULATUS, is properly the misappro-
priation or theft of public property. The
person guilty of this offence was peculator.
The origin of the word appears to be pecus,
a term which originally denoted that kind of
moveable property which was the chief sign of
wealth. Originally trials for peculatus were
before the populus or the senate. In the
time of Cicero matters of peculatus had be-
come one of the quaestiones perpetuae.
PECULIUM. [Servtts.]
PECUNIA. [Aks ; Akgentum ; Aurum.]
PEDARII. [Senatus.]
PEDISEQUI, a class of slaves, whose duty
was to follow their master when he went out
of his house. There was a similar class of
female slaves, called Pediscquae.
PEDUM (KopunjJ, a shepherd's crook. On
account of its connection with pastoral life,
the crook is often seen in works of ancient
art, in the hands of Pan, Satyrs, Fauns, and
shepherds. It was also the usual attribute
of Thalia, as the muse of pastoral poetry.
Pedum, Shepherd's Crook. (From a Painting found it
Civita Vecchia.)
PEG1IA (7nj-y|ixa), a pageant, i. e. an edifice
of wood, consisting of two or more stages
(tabulata), which were raised or depressed at
pleasure by means of balance weights. These
great machines were used in the Roman
amphitheatres, the gladiators who fought
upon them being called pegmarei. They were
supported upon wheels so as to be drawn
into the circus, glittering with silver and a
profusion of wealth. When Vespasian and
Titus celebrated their triumph over the Jews,
the procession included pageants of extraor-
dinary magnitude and splendour, consisting
of three or four stages above one another,
hung with rich tapestry, and inlaid with
ivory and gold. By the aid of various con-
trivances they represented battles and their
numerous incidents, and the attack and de-
fence of the cities of Judaea. The pegma
was also used in sacrifices. A bull having
been slain in one of the stages, the high
priest placed himself below in a cavern, so
as to receive the blood upon his person and
his garments, and in this state he was pro-
duced by the flamines before the worshippers.
PELA.TAE (rreAarai), were free labourers
working for hire, like the thetes, in contra-
distinction to the helots and penestae, who
were bondsmen or serfs. In the later Greek
writers, such as Dionysius of Halicarnassus,
and Plutarch, the word is used for the Latin
cliens, though the relations expressed by the
two terms are by no means similar.
PELTA (7re'AT)j), a small shield. Iphieratcs,
observing that the ancient Clipevs was cum-
brous and inconvenient, introduced among
the Greeks a much smaller and lighter