the early days of the empire, it was found cheaper to purchase than to breed slaves.
Slaves were divided into many various classes : the first division was into public and private. The former belonged to the state and public bodies, and their condition was preferable to that of the common slaves. They mere less liable to be sold, and under less control than ordinary slaves. They also possessed the capacity to make a valid will, to the extent of one-half of their property, which shows they were regarded in a different light from other slaves. Scipio, therefore, on the taking of Nova Carthage, promised 2000 artisans, who were taken prisoners, and were consequently liable to be sold as common slaves, that they should become public slaves of the Roman people, with the nope of speedy manumission, if they assisted him in the war.[1] Public slaves were employed to take care of the public buildings, and to attend upon magistrates and priests. Thus the ædiles and quæstors had great numbers of public slaves at their command, as had also the triumviri noctumi, who employed them to extinguish fires by night. They were also employed as lictors, jailors, executioners, watermen, &c.
A body of slaves belonging to one person was called familia. Private slaves were divided into urban and rustic ; but the name of urban was given to those slaves who served in the villa, or country residence, as well as in the town house. When there was a large number of slaves in one house, they were arranged in certain classes, which held a higher or lower rank according to the nature of their occupation.
The ordinarii seem to have been those slaves who had the superintendence of house-keeping. They were always chosen from those who had the confi- dence of their masters, and they generally had certain slaves under them. They were the stewards and butlers. The vulgares included the great body of slaves in a house who had to attend to any particular duty, and to minister to the domestic wants of their master. These were the bakers, cooks, confectioners, porters, bed-chamber slaves and litter bearers. The literati, or literary slaves, were used for various purposes by their masters, either as readers, copyists or amanuenses.
The treatment of slaves varied of course according to the dispositions of their masters ; but they appear upon the whole to have been treated with greater severity and cruelty than among the Athenians. Originally, the mas- ter could use the slave as he pleased : under the republic, the law does not seem to have protected the person or life of the slave at all ; but the cruelty of masters was to some extent restrained under the empire. The general treatment of slaves, however, was probably little affected by legislative enactments. In early times, when the number of slaves was small, they were treated with more indulgence, and more like members of the family. They
- ↑ Livy, xxvi, 47.
