Page:Roman Constitutional History, 753-44 B.C..djvu/25

Rh was in a certain sense an agreement, a contract, between the people and the king, and implied joint action, not simply the command of a sovereign king.

Powers of the Assembly. — The assembly of curies had various important elective, legislative, and administrative powers, as follows: —

Election of King. — When a regent (interrex) had selected a man for king, he submitted the name to the assembly for sanction or rejection. The assembly had no opportunity to vote for another candidate, nor, so far as known, did it ever exercise its power to reject.

The Curiate Law. — The assembly had the right and duty, by passing a special law (lex curiata), to pledge its loyalty to the new king after his election, and to confer on him the supreme authority (imperium), particularly in military matters. No instance is known where the assembly refused to pass the curiate law, and as a consequence it lost in the course of time all power to refuse.

Citizenship. — The admission (adlectio, coöptatio) of one or more clans into the patriciate, that is, into the Roman state, required the sanction of the assembly. Perhaps the assembly had the power also to banish a citizen or clan, and to restore an exile to his former position in family, clan, and state.

Adoption. — The adoption (adrogatio) of an independent (sui juris) citizen by another who belonged to a different family or clan was authorized by the assembly. It affected the maintenance of the worship of the two families or clans concerned, and hence was subject also to the control of the pontifical college (pontifices).

Testaments. — Wills or testaments might be made before the assembly. A citizen obtained in this way the largest