[2978] Livy xxv. 3. 16; Lex Mal. 53; Fest. 127. 1. These sources prove, against Lange, Röm. Alt. ii. 483, that the right to vote in a tribe drawn thus by lot was not restricted to those who were virtually citizens awaiting enrolment. It is probable that, at least in early time, not even residence was a requirement; cf. Mommsen, Röm. Staatsr. iii. 232, n. 2, 396 f., 643 f.

[2979] In the opinion of Mommsen, Röm. Staatsr. iii. 397, n. 4, 411, n. 7; Abhdl. sächs. Gesellsch. d. Wiss. ii (1857). 426, n. 107, the principium had nothing to do with the order of voting. His argument is based chiefly on the fact that according to the Lex Mal. 55—a constitution evidently based in large part on that of Rome—the curiae voted simultaneously. Reference to the preliminary vote of a single Roman tribe, however, is made by Plut. Aemil. 31; App. B. C. i. 12. 52. Furthermore it is difficult to understand why so great importance should attach to the principium on Mommsen’s supposition that it had merely to do with the order of announcement after the simultaneous vote of all the tribes. His view is accepted by Liebenam, in Pauly-Wissowa, Real-Encycl. iv. 684, but rejected by Lange, Kl. Schr. ii. 477 f.; Herzog, Röm. Staatsverf. 1184, and ignored by most other writers, including Liebenam, inconsistently; ibid. 706.

[2980] “Sitellam deferre.” It was filled with water, the lots were thrown in, and the drawing was effected by pouring out the water, which caused the pieces to fall one by one. The process was supervised by the custodes; cf. Ascon. 70; Cic. Leg. Agr. ii. 9. 22.

[2981] Dion. Hal. vii. 59. i; App. B. C. iii. 30. 117.

[2982] Serv. in Bucol. i. 33; Ovid, Fast. i. 53; Cic. Mil. 15. 41.

[2983] The marble building, known as the Saepta Julia, begun in 54 by Julius Caesar (Cic. Att. iv. 16. 14), was finished by Agrippa in 27 B.C. A plan is given by Platner, Top. and Mon. of Anc. Rome, 365, who describes it at length; cf. Richter, Top. v. Rom, 230 ff.

[2984] Cic. Sest. 51. 109; p. 129 above.

[2985] The act could take place during the deliberation, the placing of the urn, the sortition, and the separation of the people in their voting groups; Ascon. 70; (Cic.) Herenn. i. 12. 21; Cic. N. D. i. 38. 106. It was most convenient, however, for the tribune to interpose his veto by forbidding the reading of the bill; Ascon. 57 f. (p. 430 above); App. B. C. i. 12.

[2986] P. 115.

[2987] Livy ix. 46. 2; Gell. vii (vi). 9. 2.

[2988] Dion. Hal. vii. 59. 9; 64. 6.

[2989] This is true of the comitia centuriata (Cic. Div. ii. 35. 75; N. D. ii. 4. 10), and doubtless applies as well to other forms of assembly; Mommsen, Röm. Staatsr. iii. 403, n. 4. The rogator must have kept a tally of the votes in rogations in some such way as in elections, in which for each vote he placed a mark (punctum) after the name of the candidate in whose favor it was given; Mommsen, ibid. 404.

[2990] P. 359, 390.

[2991] U. R. and presumably A.; Cic. Att. i. 14. 5; Mommsen, Röm. Staatsr. iii. 402, n. 2. There were corresponding abbreviations for trials; Liebenam, in Pauly-Wissowa, Real-Encycl. iv. 692; cf. p. 178 f. above.

[2992] Plut. Cat. Min. 46; Suet. Caes. 80. These names might also be abbreviated; Cic. Dom. 43. 112.

[2993] Sisenna, Frag. 118 (Peter, Reliq. i. 293); (Cic.) Herenn. i. 12. 21; Plut. Ti. Gracch. 11. The voting within the curiae was also by heads; Livy i. 43. 10; Dion. Hal. iv. 20. 2.

[2994] Cic. Red. in Sen. 11. 28; Pis. 15. 36; Lex Mal. 55 (Bruns, Font. Iur. 149; Girard, Textes, 112). As they also counted the votes, they were termed diribitores. In the last century of the republic they were drawn from the album iudicum (Pliny, N. H. xxxiii. 2. 31), and hence included some of the most influential men in the state; cf. Cic. Leg. iii. 3. 10; 15. 33 f.

[2995] Cic. Planc. 20. 49; Pis. 5. 11; 15. 36; Varro, R. R. iii. 5. 18.

[2996] Cic. Planc. 14. 35. The order of announcement of the curial votes was likewise determined by lot; Lex Mal. 57. Livy, ix. 38. 15, refers to the sortition for the principium.

[2997] Varro, in Gell. x. 1. 6; Cic. Pis. 1. 2; Mur. 17. 35; Plut. C. Gracch. 3; Caes. 5; Suet. Vesp. 2. In the case of censors alone no declaration was made unless two were elected; Livy ix. 34. 25.

[2998] Lex Mal. 57; Cic. Mur. 1. 1; Gell. xii. 8. 6. In like manner in the comitia curiata a majority of the curiae decided; Dion. Hal. ii. 14. 3.

[2999] As in the vote to depose Trebellius from the tribunate in 67 (p. 432); cf. the deposition of Octavius in 133; p. 367. The voting as well as the announcement might be interrupted by an evil omen (p. 109, 111, 248), in which case the assembly had to be adjourned. Sometimes the president arbitrarily adjourned the meeting; Livy xlv. 36. 1-6, 10; Plut. Aemil. 31.

[3000] Twelve Tables i. 9: “Solis occasus suprema tempestas esto”; Documents in Varro, L. L. vi. 87, 92; Declam. in Cat. 19; cf. Livy x. 22. 7 f.

[3001] For the presidency of the tribunus celerum, see Livy i. 59. 7; cf. Humbert, in Daremberg et Saglio, Dict. i. 1377. It is denied by Liebenam, in Pauly-Wissowa, Real-Encycl. iv. 682.

[3002] Livy ix. 38. 15; p. 112 above.

[3003] P. 195 f.

[3004] Cic. Rep. ii. 13. 25; 17. 31.

[3005] Cic. Leg. Agr. ii. 11. 28.

[3006] P. 155.

[3007] P. 154.

[3008] Livy v. 52. 15; Dio Cass. xli. 43.

[3009] Varro, L. L. v. 155; Livy, ibid.; cf. Fest. ep. 38.

[3010] P. 154.

[3011] Gell. xv. 27. 2.

[3012] Dion. Hal. ii. 8. 4; p. 31 above; cf. Mommsen, Röm. Staatsr. iii. 386.

[3013] On the procedure, see Liebenam, in Pauly-Wissowa, Real-Encycl. iv. 682-4.

[3014] P. 103, 140, 203, 244, 245. The censors convoked it for the census and the lustrum only; p. 204.

[3015] He could not hold these comitia for elections; Livy xxii. 33. 9.

[3016] See references in the next to the last note above.

[3017] Livy v. 52. 15; Gell. xv. 27. 5; Cic. Rab. Perd. 4. 11.

[3018] Varro, L. L. vi. 88, 91; cf. Verg. Georg. ii. 539.

[3019] P. 203, n. 2.

[3020] P. 150.

[3021] Livy xxvi. 22. 11; Juv. vi. 529; Serv. in Bucol. i. 33.

[3022] 70 of the first class—1 prerogative + 18 equestrian.

[3023] Cic. Att. i. 14. 5; (Cic.) Herenn. i. 21; Fest. 334. 16.

[3024] P. 359, 390, 467.

[3025] P. 211, 226 f.

[3026] Cic. Fam. vii. 30.

[3027] In the comitia centuriata in addition to the prerogative there had to be at least four, and possibly seven, successive votings before a majority could be reached. In the tribal assembly there was but one in addition to the principium. After the comitia curiata had come to be represented by thirty lictors the votes could be taken in a few minutes.

[3028] Varro, L. L. vi. 29: “Comitiales dicti quod tum ut coiret populus constitutum est ad suffragium ferendum nisi si quae feriae conceptae essent, propter quas non liceret, (ut) Compitalia et Latinae”; Macrob. Sat. i. 16. 14: “Comitiales sunt, quibus cum populo agi licet, et fastis quidem lege agi potest, cum populo non potest, comitialibus utrumque potest”; Verrius Flaccus, in Fast. Praen. ad Ian. 3 (CIL. i². p. 231); Ovid, Fast. i. 53; Fest. ep. 38.

[3029] For the various local Italian calendars with Mommsen’s comment, see CIL. i². p. 203 ff. Especially useful is the Diei notarum laterculus, ibid. p. 290 ff.

[3030] On the distinction between dies fasti and dies nefasti, see Varro, L. L. vi. 29 f., 53; Macrob. Sat. i. 16. 14; Fast. Praen. ad Ian. 2; Ovid, Fast. i. 47; Fest. ep. 93; Gaius iv. 29.

[3031] March 24 and May 24; p. 159, n. 8.

[3032] June 15. For the meaning of this expression and the one given just above, see Varro, L. L. vi. 31 f.; Ovid, Fast. v. 727; vi. 225; Mommsen, in CIL. i². p. 289. These three days were called fissi; Serv. in Aen. vi. 37.

[3033] Dies endotorcisi or intercisi; Varro, L. L. vi. 31; Macrob. Sat. i. 16. 3; Ovid, Fast. i. 49; Mommsen, in CIL. i². p. 290.

[3034] Cf. Varro, L. L. vi. 30; Macrob. Sat. i. 16. 14. In a wider sense comitial days were fasti. Naturally judicial business could be transacted on those comitial days on which the assembly did not actually meet, or after its adjournment if time remained; p. 315. A Clodian law of 58 permitted comitial legislation on all dies fasti; p. 445.

[3035] Mommsen, in CIL. i². p. 296; 109 according to Wissowa, Relig. u. Kult. d. Röm. 368 f.

[3036] Mommsen, ibid. Wissowa, ibid., reckons 192 comitial days, which would give 43 non-comitial fasti. The following were the dies comitiales according to Mommsen:

• Jan. 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 16-28, 31—in all xix.
• Feb. 18-20, 22, 25, 28—vi.
• Mar. 3-6, 9-12, 18, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28-31—xvii.
• Apr. 3, 4, 24, 27-30—vii.
• May, 3-6, 10, 12, 14, 17-20, 25-31—xviii.
• June, 4, 16-28, 30—xvi.
• July, 10-14, 17, 18, 20, 22, 26-31—xv.
• Aug. 3, 4, 7, 8, 10-12, 15, 16, 18, 20, 24, 26, 28, 31—xv.
• Sept. 4, 7-11, 16-22, 24-28, 30—xix.
• Oct. 3-6, 9, 10, 12, 17, 18, 20-31—xxi.
• Nov. 3, 4, 7-12, 15-28, 30—xxiii.
• Dec. 4, 7-10, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24-28, 31 —xv.

[3037] Wissowa, ibid. 378.

[3038] Varro, in Macrob, Sat. i. 16. 19; L. L. vi. 29.

[3039] Varro, R. R. ii. praef. 1; Serv. in Georg. i. 275.

[3040] That judicial business was done on those nundinae which were not marked N(efasti) is clearly proved by the Twelve Tables, iii. 1-6 (Girard, Textes, p. 13), in Gell. xx. i. 45 ff.; cf. especially § 47: “Trinis nundinis continuis ad praetorem in comitium producebantur, quantaeque pecuniae iudicati essent, praedicabatur.”

[3041] Dion. Hal. vii. 59. 3: Ἐν δὲ ταύταις (ἀγοραῖς) συνιόντες ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν εἰς τὴν πόλιν οἱ δημοτικοί τὰς τ’ ἀμείψεις ἐποιοῦντο τῶν ὠνίων κὰι τὰς δίκας παρ’ ἀλλήλων ἐλάμβανον, τά τε κοινά, ὅσων ἦσαν κύριοι κατὰ τοὺς νόμους καὶ ὅσα ἡ βουλὴ ἐπιτρέψειεν αὐτοῖς, ψῆφον ἀναλαμβάνοντες ἐπεκύρουν; Rutilius, in Macrob. Sat. i. 16. 34: “Romanos instituisse nundinas, ut octo quidem diebus in agris rustici opus facerent, nono autem die intermisso rure ad mercatum legesque accipiendas Romam venirent.” The words of Dionysius and Rutilius apply to all voting assemblies, not simply to those of the plebs.

[3042] Gran. Licinian. in Macrob. Sat. i. 16. 30 (quoted p. 315, n. 2).

[3043] Cf. Lange, Röm. Alt. ii. 518 f.