﻿104 THE AGE OF PETRONIUS ARBITER. 



KaTafiaOcov yap Ik t/;? ireipa^ kul ■)(pr]a'ificoTaTriv Kai avayicaiOTaTTjv ttjv Trap avrtov ^or/Oeiav 



ova-av, er^prja-ev axnom. This important measure is placed in the year 6 A. D. (759 U. C). 

 A little later (cap. 31), Dio Cassius mentions whence the means for the support of the 

 watchmen were obtained : Upoaoeo/Mevo'; Se Brj j^prnxarav e? re tou? TroXe/Mov; Koi e? ttjv twv 

 vv/CTO(j)vXaKO)v Tpo(f)r]v, TO re TeXo? to t^? TrevTeKoarrJ!; eiri rrj rcov avSpairoBcov irpaaei effijjaye, 

 K. r. \. Suetonius makes mention of the establishment of the " Vigiles " (Aug. 30) : 

 "Adversus incendia excubias nocturnas vigilesque commentus est." This force con- 

 sisted of seven cohorts, each numbering one thousand men, quartered in seven barracks, 

 each on the confines of two adjoining " regiones " (the whole city being divided into 

 fourteen "regiones"); they had, besides, fourteen " excubitoria," or places of meeting, 

 one in each " regio." Each cohort was commanded by a tribune, and the whole force 

 by a " praefectus \igilum." 



At a somewhat later time the Emperor Claudius established an additional cohort of 

 watchmen in Ostia, and one in Puteoli. Cf Sueton. Claud. 25 : " Puteolis et Ostiae 

 singulas cohortes ad arccndos incendiorum casus coUocaAit." This piece of information 

 is of importance, — at least if it should be proved that the book was written before 

 the reign of Claudius, — to show that, while Petronius professedly places this part of 

 his story in Naples, he in fact portrays the customs and institutions of Rome. For 

 from the circumstance that the extension of the institution of watchmen to Puteoli and 

 Ostia is specially mentioned by Suetonius, we are justified in inferring that other cities, 

 and Naples among the rest, were yet destitute of a similar organization ; and this scene, 

 therefore, which Petronius describes as having occurred in the house of Trimalchio at 

 Naples, could, in reality, only have happened in Rome. At a still later period, the 

 institution of watchmen was introduced into Constantinople, not Avithout material 

 modifications, however. 



The question now arises, "Was this passage written before or after the reorganization 

 of the "Vigiles" by Augustus, in 6 A. D. (759 U. C.)1 I entertain no doubt, from 

 the general character of the passage, and more especially from the expression " qui 

 custodiebant -^icinam regionem," that the writer was acquainted with the Augustan 

 organization of the "Vigiles" in Rome, and that the book was consequently written 

 after 6 A. D. 



27. C. 81. 3: "Arenae imposui." It may be safely inferred, from this and some 

 other passages, that Encolpius was a runaway gladiator; but it does not follow, as 

 Janus Dousa and others are inclined to think, that he was a slave. The great majority 

 of gladiators were undoubtedly slaves or criminals condemned to death ; but not all. 

 Freemen could, for a stated sum (" auctoramentum gladiatorium "), sell themselves 



