m D I 



JE D U 



power, on eertain occafions, of ifTuing eiiifts ; and, by de- 

 gf-ees, they procured to themfelvesaconfidcrablc jurifdidion, 

 the cogni/.aiicc of various caufes, &c. — This office ruined 

 numbers by its expenfivenefs ; fo that in Augullus's time, 

 even many fenators declined it, on that account. 



All tliefe funftiuns, which rendered the xdiles fo confi- 

 derable, belonged at firfl to the xdiles of the people, ttcHles 

 plebc-ii, or muiores : thefe were only two in number, and 

 were tirll created in the lame year as the tribunes : for the 

 tribune-;, finding tliemfelves opprelfed with the multiplicity 

 ot aflairs, demanded of the fenate to iiave officers, with 

 whom they might intrull matters of lefs importance, and 

 accordingly two tcdiles were created : and hence it was, that 

 the xdiles were elefted every year, at the fame aflcmbly as 

 the tribunes. Thefe plebeian xdiles continued in the iole pof- 

 felfion of the office during the fpace of 127 )»ears, from tiie 

 year of Rome 261, when they were appointed, to the 

 year 388. But thefe xdiles having refufed to celebrate 

 the gre.it games, on bccafion of the reconciliation that took 

 place between the fenate and people in confequence of the 

 grant that one of their order fliould be conful, becaufe 

 the celebration was attended with an expence which they 

 were unable to fupport, the Patricians oftered to undertake 

 the charge, upon condition that they fhould obtain the ho- 

 noin-s of the xdileffiip. Their offer was accepted with gra- 

 titude ; and the fenate palfed a decree for the election of 

 two xdiles annually out of the order of the patricians. 

 From this time there were two kinds of xdiles at Rome ; the 

 one were called Plehe'mn JEdiles ; the otb.er were called 

 JEd'tles Ctiiiiles, or Majores, i. e. Curule jEJiks, becaufe they 

 had the right of fitting in a Curule chair, adorned with 

 ivory, when they gave audience ; whereas the plebeian 

 lediles fat on benches : and this chair was placed in the cha- 

 riot in which they were carried ; a diftinftion annexed to 

 the great offices of the commonwealth. 



It is not eafy to defcribe exaftly the different funftions of 

 thefe two kinds of xdiles. It is probable, however, that 

 the curule xdiles Ihared all the ordinary funftions witli the 

 plebeian ; but their principal and diftinguiihing office per- 

 tained, according to Cicero, in the lal of his orations 

 againll Verres, (Oper. t. 4. p. ^24. Ed. Olivet) to their 

 prefiding in the games celebrated in honour of different di- 

 vinities, to the care of the facred edif;cei, and to tlie civil 

 government of Rome in general. They were alfo appointed 

 judrres in all cafes relatingf to the felling; or exchan<rincr of 

 eftates. The dillinftions which thefe xdiles enjoyed were 

 the right of giving their opinion in the fenate, not according 

 to the date of their admiffion into that body, but a more 

 lionourahle rank, the robe called lo^a pricU-^^ta, the curule 

 chair, and the right of having images, whi-.-h were fet up 

 in their halls and carried in pomp at their funerals ; all of 

 which were privileges that were annexed to the great offices 

 of ftate. 



The hrll curule dignity held at Rome was the xdilefliip, and 

 the age for entering into that office was 37. In two years it 

 was fuceeeded by the prxtorlhip, and after the like interval, 

 by the office of conful. The manner in which the office 

 of xJile was fulfained, and particularly in the exhibition of 

 games, very much contributed cither to gain or alienate the 

 attachment of the people with refpect to tlie other dignities. 

 The expence attending the games and fhews v.-as, in foine 

 cafes, enormous. Cicero was moderate, as he informs us in 

 bis Offices, 1. 3. apud oper. torn. 3. p. 353. Ed. Olivet. 

 But the expences of otliers in that department of their office 

 ■which refpeftcd the games were fo exorbitant, as to give 

 Livy rcafon for obferving, that the revenues of the moH 

 opulent princes would hardly luffice to fupport them. Of 



this fa^ft we have a memorable example in the stdilefliip oF 

 M. Scaurus, in the 6(;4lh year of Rome; fo tliat Pliny, 

 (1. 3^1. c. 15.) from the ahnofl in'-rcdible profufioH which 

 this xdile bellowed upon the theatre which he creftcd, took 

 occalion to exclaim, that the xdilelhip of Scaurus finally 

 mined and fubverted the manners of the public. 



Augulhis transferred the care of the piibhc flicws and 

 fports to the prxtors, and would not allow them to be exhi- 

 bited at their own charge ; but obliged tlie people to con- 

 tribute a part, and paid the rell out of the public treafury. 



To eafe thefe four tirll xdiles Cxiar created a new kind, 

 called xdiles cereales, as being deputed ciiiefly to take care 

 ot the corn, which was called ilnnum Ceierii ; foi- the heathens 

 honoured Ceres as the goddefs who prelided over corn, and 

 attributed to her tlie invention of agi icultnrc. Thefe xdiles 

 cereales were alfo taken out of the order of patricians. In 

 the municipal cities there were xdiles, v.'ith the fame autho- 

 rity as at Rome. 



We alfo read of an trdU'u nihncn'.ari.u, expretfed in abbrevia- 

 ture by JEdil. iil'im. whofe bulinefs fecms to have been to pro- 

 vide diet for thofe who were maintained at the public charge, 

 though others affign him a different office. 



In ancient infcriptions we alfo meet withxdiles of the carrp^ 

 ttdil'u ciijlrorum. 



^DiLis, in Entomology, a fpeciesof the Ceramdyx with a 

 fpinofe thorax, marked with four yellow fpots, with obtnle 

 nebulous elytra and very long antennx. It is found in the 

 trunks of trees in Europe ; and is alfo called Caprkornus 

 Rujfiats. 



jEDILITIUM ed'iSwn, among the Romans, was that 

 whereby a remedy was given a buyer, in cafe a vicious, 

 or unfound beaft, or flave, vras fold him. It was called 

 ipdiliiiiim, becaufe the preventing frauds in fales and coniracls 

 belonged efpecially to the curule xdiles. 



tEDITUUS, in Antiquity, the keeper of a facred man- 

 fion, wlio had tlie care of the offerings and ornaments of 

 the deity to whom it was peculiarly devoted. 



The word is compounded of fdcs, and tueor, I dtfcnJx 

 q. d. a tnendis tcdibus ; originally it was written aditimuj. 



The xdituus is the lame with what Scxvola calls /liem- 

 phylax, the Latins fometimcs adilis, and the Greeks yijivfc;, 

 anfwering to the fexton among us. 



The xditui, among the Romans, were officers of d.llinc- 

 tion, being the depoiitaries nit only of the treafure, but 

 of the public afts, or records. — The xditui had their fevc- 

 ral cells, near the temples, the cullody of which was com- 

 mitted to them. Struv. Ant. Rom. 



The female deities had a female officer of the tune kind, 

 imder the denomination nditiin. 



.^DiTuus, Martin, in Jiiograp/.y, born at Amfterdam, 

 was firrt phyfician to Frederic II. king of Denmark. Adrieii 

 Jonghe, dedicated his trcatife " De Coma" to him, pub- 

 litlied at Bafle in 1558, whence it appears that he was then 

 in high repute. 



jEDOIA, the fame a-s Pudenda. 



jEDON, in Ancient Geography, an iHand of Marraarica, 

 on the borders of Egypt. 



jEdon, in Onihh'ilngy, a fpecies of Mi'scicapa. 

 iEDUI, in Ancient Hjjlory, a denomination given to the 

 moft ancient and powerfid people of Gaul, who were fitu- 

 ated betv.'cen the rivers Seine, I^oire and Saonc, within the 

 4')th and 47itli degree of latitude ; and who were tlic only 

 allies Cxfar had at the time of his invading GauL 



Their countiy was fruitfiJ, and furnilhed abundance of 



corn. Their principal city v.as Bibrafte or Augullodu- 



num, now Autiin. The form of their government was 



arillocratic ; and they chofe their chief magillrate annually. 



M m 2 ThiK 



