Page:The Ancient City- A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome.djvu/220

 214 THE CITY. BOOK III. among the Romans, an expiatory sacrifice. Priests and victims followed the procession. When the third circuit was completed, the magistrate pronounced a set form of prayer, and immolated the victims.' From this moment every slain was effaced, all negligence in the worship repaired, and the city was at peace with its gods. Two things were necessary for an act of this nature, and of so great importance ; one was, that no stranger should be found among the citizens, as this would have destroyed the effect of the ceremony; the other was, that all the citizens should be present, with- out which the city would have retained some stain. It was necessary, therefore, that this religious ceremony should bo preceded by a numbering of the citizens. At Rome and at Athens, they were counted with scni- pulous care. It is 2>iobable that the number was pro- nounced by the magistrate in the formula of prayer, as it was afterwards inserted in the account of the cere- mony which the censor drew up. The loss of citizenship was the punishment of the man who failed to have his name enrolled. This sever- ity is easily explained. The man who had not taken part in the religious act, who had not been purified, for whom the prayer had not been pronounced or the victim saci'ificed, could no longer be a member of the city. In the sight of the gcds, who had been piesent at the ceremony, he was no longer a citizen.' ' Varro, L. L., VI. 86. Valerius Maximus, V. 1, 10. Livy, I. 44; III. 22; VI. 27. Propertius, IV. 1, 20. Servius, ad Eclog., X. 55; ad jEn., VIII. 231. Livy attributes this institu- tion to king Servius ; but probably it is older than Rome, and existed in all the cities, as well as at Rome. It is attributed to Servius just because he modified it, as we shall see.
 * Citizens absent from Rome were require 1 to return home for