Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/690

 678 CLIENT CLIFTON sia, except some districts on the Maas, and a few villages which were claimed by Holland. CLIENT (Lat. cliena, according to some from an old Latin verb, cluere, to obey), in Roman antiquity, a man of inferior class, or lower situa- tion, connected for mutual service and obliga- tion with a citizen of better standing, in this relation called patron (patronus), or protector. This relation of client and patron (clientela), which seems to have been of great historical importance in the first centuries of the Roman state, is said to have been introduced by Romu- lus, in order to form a social link connecting the two separate and naturally antagonistic bodies of Roman society, the patricians and the plebeians. Some even believe that at the ear- liest period of Roman history the names patri- cians and patrons were identical, and that the clients embraced the whole bulk of the plebs. But this supposition, though founded on testi- mony of ancient date, can hardly be proved, the history of this institution in general being in- volved in great obscurity. According to Diony- sius, whose history contains a summary of the mutual obligations of clients and patrons, to- gether with a historical sketch of the institu- tion, both of doubtful accuracy, the patron was the legal adviser and paternal protector of the client, and bound to assist him in need or danger ; the client was bound to filial respect and recip- rocal assistance, to contribute to the portion of the patron's daughters in case he became poor, to ransom him if made captive, and to vote for him or his friends when standing for office. The client and patron were not allowed to sue or to bear witness against each other, and had religiously to abstain from any injury to each other. The client accompanied his patron in war, being in this respect similar to the vassal of the middle ages, and bore his family name, partaking in the sacrifices and sepulchre of the gen* with which he was thus associated. If he died without an heir, his patron (according to Niebuhr) inherited his property. The wife of the latter was the matrona or patroness of the protected family. Illustrious families found their pride in the number of their clients, and strove to gain new ones, the relation being hereditary. Freedmen became natural clients. It is stated that Romulus, regarding the connection as a religious tie, and an infringement upon its duties as a sac- rilegious act, bestowed upon clients the right of unlimited self-defence against tyrannical pat- rons, but this can hardly be accepted. What- ever the original condition of the clients may have been, their situation was made more fa- vorable by the constitution of Servius Tullius, admitting the plebeians to a regular share in the political affairs of the state. Though great- ly modified in the course of time, the institution maintained itself down to the period of the em- perors. Foreigners also often s*ood under the protection of distinguished Roman citizens, chosen as patrons. Even foreign states which were in alliance with Rome had their patrons in the capital of the mighty republic, and the senate often referred the decision of interna- tional disputes to the respective patrons. Simi- lar institutions are said to have existed at an early age among other nations of Italy, as well as among some tribes of Thessaly. In modern usage the term client designates a person who commits his legal cause to a lawyer or counsellor. CLIFTON, a watering place of Gloucester- shire, England, now forming a suburb of Bris- tol; pop. in 1871, 20,701. It is built on the southern acclivity of a steep cliff, nearly at the top of which is York crescent, a fine row of houses. Above this are Clifton down and St. Vincent rocks, 300 ft. high, crowned by an observatory. In some places the rock rises perpendicularly, and the Avon flows through a deep gorge, which is crossed by a suspension bridge of 702 ft. span and 260 ft. above the river. The bridge was built after designs by Clifton Suspension Bridge. Brunei, and partly from funds left by Alderman Vick in 1753; but owing to lack of money it was long in an unfinished state, and was not completed till 1864. Clifton is the seat of a Roman Catholic bishop, and near it is Staple- ton, the palace of the Anglican bishop of Glou- cester and Bristol. Clifton college occupies an area of 15 acres, and comprises a gymna- sium, boarding houses, schools, and chapels. There is a fine zoological garden. The scenery of the neighborhood is romantic. The hot spring, situated at the foot of St. Vincent rocks, has a temperature of 76 F., and discharge* about 40 gallons a minute. The principal min- eral ingredients of the water are salts of lime, and when it is drawn into a glass a few bubble* of carbonic acid gas are emitted. The water is useful in many disorders. The spring has been known for centuries, but was first enclosed by the corporation of Bristol in 1690. There are now a pump room and hot and cold baths. The climate is salubrious, though strong winds prevail from the west and southwest. Rain frequently falls, but owing to the absorbent nature'of the soil the ground soon dries.