a standing commission

quaestĭo, ōnis, f. [quaero], a seeking.

In gen. (Plautin.):

cave, fuas mi in quaestione,

lest you suffer yourself to be to seek, lest I have to look after you, Plaut. Pers. 1, 1, 52:

tibi ne in quaestione essemus,

id. Capt. 2, 2, 3; id. Ps. 2, 2, 68.—

In partic., an inquiry, investigation, a questioning, question, subject of inquiry:

quaestio est appetitio cognitionis, quaestionisque finis inventio,

Cic. Ac. 2, 8, 26; 2, 36, 115:

quae veri simillima (sententia sit), magna quaestio est,

id. Tusc. 1, 11, 23; id. Fin. 2, 11, 34:

rem in disceptationem quaestionemque vocare,

to investigate, id. de Or. 3, 32, 129:

res in quaestione versatur,

is under investigation, id. Clu. 58, 159:

de moribus ultima fiet quaestio,

Juv. 3, 141:

res in quaestionem venit,

comes under investigation, Quint. 5, 14, 16:

modo aliquam quaestionem poëticam ei proponeret,

Nep. Att. 20, 2; cf. Cic. Att. 7, 19 fin.; Sen. Ben. 5, 8, 6; id. Ep. 48, 1; Suet. Tib. 56:

quaestionem instituere,

to institute an investigation, Quint. 7, 1, 6:

quaestionem solvere,

Sen. Ep. 48, 11; Quint. 5, 10, 26.—

A public judicial investigation, examination by torture, a criminal inquiry, inquisition; the crime is usu. constr. with de:

cum praetor quaestionem inter sicarios exercuisset,

instituted a trial for assassination, Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 54:

verberibus ac tormentis quaestionem habuit pecuniae publicae,

id. Phil. 11, 2, 5:

quaestionem mortis paternae de servis paternis habere,

id. Rosc. Am. 28, 78:

quaestionem fugitare,

id. ib. 28, 78:

servos in quaestionem polliceri,

id. ib. 28, 77:

quaestionem ferre in aliquem,

to appoint, institute, make a motion for, id. de Or. 1, 53, 227:

habere ex aliquo,

Liv. 33, 28:

facere alicui,

against any one, Dig. 34, 3, 20:

quaestionem de furto constituere,

Cic. Clu. 64, 181:

quaestionem instituere de morte alicujus,

id. ib. 64, 181:

quaestionem de morte viri habere,

id. ib. 65, 182;

63, 176: quaestionem habere de servis in caput filii,

id. ib. 63, 176:

ad quaestionem abripi,

to examination by torture, id. ib. 33, 89:

alicui servum in quaestionem ferre,

id. ib. 64, 181:

postulare servum in quaestionem,

id. ib. 64, 181:

quaestiones severius exercere,

Liv. 9, 34:

quaestioni praeesse,

to conduct a trial as judge, Cic. Rosc. Am. 4, 11: quaestiones perpetuae, the inquisitions concerning certain crimes (repetundarum, majestatis, de falso, de sicariis, de injuriis, etc.), conducted annually, after 605 A. U. C., by a standing commission, and presided over by the prætor, Cic. Brut. 27, 106:

judex quaestionis,

the director of the criminal court under the presidency of the prætor, id. Clu. 54, 148; 33, 89; id. Brut. 76, 264:

quaestiones extraordinariae,

trials out of the common course, held under a special commission, Liv. 39, 14; so,

quaestio nova,

Cic. Mil. 5, 13:

A QVAESTIONIBVS,

an attendant in examinations, a torturer, inquisitor, Inscr. Grut. 545, 6; 560, 1. —

Transf.

The court, the judges:

dimittere eo tempore quaestionem,

Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 30, § 74:

totam quaestionem a severitate ad clementiam transtulit,

Val. Max. 8, 1, 6.—

The subject of investigation, the matter, case, question:

perdifficilis et perobscura quaestio est de naturā deorum,

Cic. N. D. 1, 1, 1:

dividere totam de dis immortalibus quaestionem in partis quattuor,

id. ib. 2, 1, 3:

quaestio proposita,

Quint. 9, 2, 39.—

In partic., in rhet.

The rhetorical subject of debate: quaestionum duo sunt genera: alterum infinitum, alterum definitum. Definitum est, quod hupothesin Graeci, nos causam: infinitum, quod thesin illi appellant, nos propositum possumus nominare, Cic. Top. 21, 79. —

The main point in a disputed matter, the issue in a cause: quaestio est quae ex conflictione causarum gignitur controversia, hoc modo: Non jure fecisti: jure feci. Causarum autem haec est conflictio, in quā constitutio constat;

ex eā igitur nascitur controversia, quam quaestionem dicimus, hoc modo: jurene fecerit,

Cic. Inv. 1, 13, 18; cf. id. ib. 1, 6, 8.—

A question, a disputed point, quaestio est, it is doubtful, may be disputed:

sapientia efficit sapientis sola per se: beatos efficiat necne sola per se quaestio est,

Cic. Top. 15, 60; id. Tusc. 4, 13, 29; id. Inv. 2, 20, 60:

quaestio est, an, etc.,

Quint. 7, 3, 22; cf.:

nulla quaestio est,

Aug. Retract. 1, 19, 6; cf.

also: in quaestione est,

Plin. 11, 17, 18, § 57; 10, 22, 27, § 52:

quaestionis est immensae,

id. 7, 28, 29, § 101; 28, 2, 3, § 10.

per-pĕtŭus, a, um, adj. ( comp. perpetuior, Cato ap. Prisc. p. 601 P.; sup. perpetuissimus, id. ib.) [peto], continuing throughout, continuous, unbroken, uninterrupted; constant, universal, general, entire, whole, perpetual (syn.:

continuus, assiduus): sulcos perpetuos ducere,

Cato, R. R. 33:

quin aedes totae perpetuae ruant,

Plaut. Most. 1, 2, 67:

agmen,

Cic. Pis. 22, 51:

munitiones,

Caes. B. C. 3, 44:

palus,

id. B. G. 7, 26:

milites disposuit perpetuis vigiliisque stationibusque,

id. B. C. 1, 21:

perpetuis soliti patres considere mensis,

Verg. A. 7, 176:

vescitur Aeneas... perpetui tergo bovis,

id. ib. 8, 182:

Apenninus perpetuis jugis ab Alpibus tendens ad Siculum fretum,

Plin. 3, 5, 7, § 48:

tractus,

id. 6, 20, 23, § 73:

oratio perpetua (opp. altercatio),

Cic. Att. 1, 16, 8; cf. Liv. 4, 6:

disputatio,

Cic. de Or. 2, 4, 16; id. Top. 26, 97:

quaestiones perpetuae hoc adulescente constitutae sunt,

a standing commission, a permanent tribunal for criminal investigation, id. Brut. 27, 105: perpetua historia, a continuous or general history, id. Fam. 5, 12, 2:

colere te usque perpetuom diem,

Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 78:

diem perpetuum in laetitiā degere,

this whole day, Ter. Ad. 4, 1, 5:

triduum,

id. ib. 4, 1, 4:

biennium,

id. Hec. 1, 2, 12:

ignis Vestae perpetuus ac sempiternus,

Cic. Cat. 4, 9, 18:

lex perpetua et aeterna,

id. N. D. 1, 15, 40:

stellarum perennes cursus atque perpetui,

id. ib. 2, 21, 55. stabilis et perpetua permansio, id. Inv. 2, 54, 164:

voluntas mea perpetua et constans in rem publicam,

id. Phil. 13, 6, 13:

formido,

Verg. E. 4, 14:

assidua et perpetua cura,

Cic. Fam. 6, 13, 2:

perpetui scrinia Sili,

of the immortal Silius, Mart. 6, 64, 10.—As subst.: perpĕtŭum, i, n., the abiding, permanent (opp. temporale), Lact. 2, 8, 68.—Hence: in perpetuum (sc. tempus), for all time, forever, in perpetuity, constantly: mulier repperit odium ocius Suā inmunditiā, quam in perpetuom ut placeat munditia sua. Plaut. Stich. 5, 5, 6:

serva tibi in perpetuom amicum me,

id. Capt. 2, 3, 81:

in perpetuum comprimi,

Cic. Cat. 1, 12, 30; id. Agr. 2, 21, 55:

obtinere aliquid in perpetuum,

id. Rosc. Am. 48, 139:

non in perpetuum irascetur,

Vulg. Psa. 102, 9 et saep.—So, in perpetuum modum = perpetuo, Plaut. Most. 3, 1, 5.—

In partic.

That holds constantly and universally, universal, general:

perpetui juris et universi generis quaestio,

Cic. de Or. 2, 33, 141:

nec arbitror perpetuum quicquam in hoc praecipi posse,

Plin. 17, 2, 2, § 19:

ne id quidem perpetuum est,

does not always hold good, Cels. 2, 10: illud in quo quasi certamen est controversiae... id ita dici placet, ut traducatur ad perpetuam quaestionem, to a general principle, [p. 1352] Cic. Or. 36, 126.—

In augury: perpetua fulmina, perpetual lighlnings, i. e. whose prognostics refer to one's whole life, Sen. Q. N. 2, 47, 1.—

In gram.:

perpetuus modus,

the infinitive mood, Diom. p. 331 P. —Hence, adv., in three forms, perpetuo (class.), perpetuum ( poet.), and perpetue (late Lat.).

perpĕtŭō, constantly, uninterruptedly, perpetually, always, forever, utterly, hopelessly:

perpetuon' valuisti?

Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 15:

metuo ne technae meae perpetuo perierint,

id. Most. 3, 1, 23:

dico ut perpetuo pereas,

id. Pers. 2, 4, 10; so,

perpetuo perire,

Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 13:

opinionem retinere,

Cic. Agr. 3, 1, 2:

loquens,

id. Ac. 2, 19, 63:

sub imperio esse,

Caes. B. G. 1, 31; Ov. M. 10, 97.—

perpĕtŭum, constantly, uninterruptedly, perpetually:

uti,

Stat. S. 1, 1, 99.—

perpĕtŭē, constantly, Cassiod. in Psa. 62, 4.

per-pĕtŭus, a, um, adj. ( comp. perpetuior, Cato ap. Prisc. p. 601 P.; sup. perpetuissimus, id. ib.) [peto], continuing throughout, continuous, unbroken, uninterrupted; constant, universal, general, entire, whole, perpetual (syn.:

continuus, assiduus): sulcos perpetuos ducere,

Cato, R. R. 33:

quin aedes totae perpetuae ruant,

Plaut. Most. 1, 2, 67:

agmen,

Cic. Pis. 22, 51:

munitiones,

Caes. B. C. 3, 44:

palus,

id. B. G. 7, 26:

milites disposuit perpetuis vigiliisque stationibusque,

id. B. C. 1, 21:

perpetuis soliti patres considere mensis,

Verg. A. 7, 176:

vescitur Aeneas... perpetui tergo bovis,

id. ib. 8, 182:

Apenninus perpetuis jugis ab Alpibus tendens ad Siculum fretum,

Plin. 3, 5, 7, § 48:

tractus,

id. 6, 20, 23, § 73:

oratio perpetua (opp. altercatio),

Cic. Att. 1, 16, 8; cf. Liv. 4, 6:

disputatio,

Cic. de Or. 2, 4, 16; id. Top. 26, 97:

quaestiones perpetuae hoc adulescente constitutae sunt,

a standing commission, a permanent tribunal for criminal investigation, id. Brut. 27, 105: perpetua historia, a continuous or general history, id. Fam. 5, 12, 2:

colere te usque perpetuom diem,

Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 78:

diem perpetuum in laetitiā degere,

this whole day, Ter. Ad. 4, 1, 5:

triduum,

id. ib. 4, 1, 4:

biennium,

id. Hec. 1, 2, 12:

ignis Vestae perpetuus ac sempiternus,

Cic. Cat. 4, 9, 18:

lex perpetua et aeterna,

id. N. D. 1, 15, 40:

stellarum perennes cursus atque perpetui,

id. ib. 2, 21, 55. stabilis et perpetua permansio, id. Inv. 2, 54, 164:

voluntas mea perpetua et constans in rem publicam,

id. Phil. 13, 6, 13:

formido,

Verg. E. 4, 14:

assidua et perpetua cura,

Cic. Fam. 6, 13, 2:

perpetui scrinia Sili,

of the immortal Silius, Mart. 6, 64, 10.—As subst.: perpĕtŭum, i, n., the abiding, permanent (opp. temporale), Lact. 2, 8, 68.—Hence: in perpetuum (sc. tempus), for all time, forever, in perpetuity, constantly: mulier repperit odium ocius Suā inmunditiā, quam in perpetuom ut placeat munditia sua. Plaut. Stich. 5, 5, 6:

serva tibi in perpetuom amicum me,

id. Capt. 2, 3, 81:

in perpetuum comprimi,

Cic. Cat. 1, 12, 30; id. Agr. 2, 21, 55:

obtinere aliquid in perpetuum,

id. Rosc. Am. 48, 139:

non in perpetuum irascetur,

Vulg. Psa. 102, 9 et saep.—So, in perpetuum modum = perpetuo, Plaut. Most. 3, 1, 5.—

In partic.

That holds constantly and universally, universal, general:

perpetui juris et universi generis quaestio,

Cic. de Or. 2, 33, 141:

nec arbitror perpetuum quicquam in hoc praecipi posse,

Plin. 17, 2, 2, § 19:

ne id quidem perpetuum est,

does not always hold good, Cels. 2, 10: illud in quo quasi certamen est controversiae... id ita dici placet, ut traducatur ad perpetuam quaestionem, to a general principle, [p. 1352] Cic. Or. 36, 126.—

In augury: perpetua fulmina, perpetual lighlnings, i. e. whose prognostics refer to one's whole life, Sen. Q. N. 2, 47, 1.—

In gram.:

perpetuus modus,

the infinitive mood, Diom. p. 331 P. —Hence, adv., in three forms, perpetuo (class.), perpetuum ( poet.), and perpetue (late Lat.).

perpĕtŭō, constantly, uninterruptedly, perpetually, always, forever, utterly, hopelessly:

perpetuon' valuisti?

Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 15:

metuo ne technae meae perpetuo perierint,

id. Most. 3, 1, 23:

dico ut perpetuo pereas,

id. Pers. 2, 4, 10; so,

perpetuo perire,

Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 13:

opinionem retinere,

Cic. Agr. 3, 1, 2:

loquens,

id. Ac. 2, 19, 63:

sub imperio esse,

Caes. B. G. 1, 31; Ov. M. 10, 97.—

perpĕtŭum, constantly, uninterruptedly, perpetually:

uti,

Stat. S. 1, 1, 99.—

perpĕtŭē, constantly, Cassiod. in Psa. 62, 4.

per-pĕtŭus, a, um, adj. ( comp. perpetuior, Cato ap. Prisc. p. 601 P.; sup. perpetuissimus, id. ib.) [peto], continuing throughout, continuous, unbroken, uninterrupted; constant, universal, general, entire, whole, perpetual (syn.:

continuus, assiduus): sulcos perpetuos ducere,

Cato, R. R. 33:

quin aedes totae perpetuae ruant,

Plaut. Most. 1, 2, 67:

agmen,

Cic. Pis. 22, 51:

munitiones,

Caes. B. C. 3, 44:

palus,

id. B. G. 7, 26:

milites disposuit perpetuis vigiliisque stationibusque,

id. B. C. 1, 21:

perpetuis soliti patres considere mensis,

Verg. A. 7, 176:

vescitur Aeneas... perpetui tergo bovis,

id. ib. 8, 182:

Apenninus perpetuis jugis ab Alpibus tendens ad Siculum fretum,

Plin. 3, 5, 7, § 48:

tractus,

id. 6, 20, 23, § 73:

oratio perpetua (opp. altercatio),

Cic. Att. 1, 16, 8; cf. Liv. 4, 6:

disputatio,

Cic. de Or. 2, 4, 16; id. Top. 26, 97:

quaestiones perpetuae hoc adulescente constitutae sunt,

a standing commission, a permanent tribunal for criminal investigation, id. Brut. 27, 105: perpetua historia, a continuous or general history, id. Fam. 5, 12, 2:

colere te usque perpetuom diem,

Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 78:

diem perpetuum in laetitiā degere,

this whole day, Ter. Ad. 4, 1, 5:

triduum,

id. ib. 4, 1, 4:

biennium,

id. Hec. 1, 2, 12:

ignis Vestae perpetuus ac sempiternus,

Cic. Cat. 4, 9, 18:

lex perpetua et aeterna,

id. N. D. 1, 15, 40:

stellarum perennes cursus atque perpetui,

id. ib. 2, 21, 55. stabilis et perpetua permansio, id. Inv. 2, 54, 164:

voluntas mea perpetua et constans in rem publicam,

id. Phil. 13, 6, 13:

formido,

Verg. E. 4, 14:

assidua et perpetua cura,

Cic. Fam. 6, 13, 2:

perpetui scrinia Sili,

of the immortal Silius, Mart. 6, 64, 10.—As subst.: perpĕtŭum, i, n., the abiding, permanent (opp. temporale), Lact. 2, 8, 68.—Hence: in perpetuum (sc. tempus), for all time, forever, in perpetuity, constantly: mulier repperit odium ocius Suā inmunditiā, quam in perpetuom ut placeat munditia sua. Plaut. Stich. 5, 5, 6:

serva tibi in perpetuom amicum me,

id. Capt. 2, 3, 81:

in perpetuum comprimi,

Cic. Cat. 1, 12, 30; id. Agr. 2, 21, 55:

obtinere aliquid in perpetuum,

id. Rosc. Am. 48, 139:

non in perpetuum irascetur,

Vulg. Psa. 102, 9 et saep.—So, in perpetuum modum = perpetuo, Plaut. Most. 3, 1, 5.—

In partic.

That holds constantly and universally, universal, general:

perpetui juris et universi generis quaestio,

Cic. de Or. 2, 33, 141:

nec arbitror perpetuum quicquam in hoc praecipi posse,

Plin. 17, 2, 2, § 19:

ne id quidem perpetuum est,

does not always hold good, Cels. 2, 10: illud in quo quasi certamen est controversiae... id ita dici placet, ut traducatur ad perpetuam quaestionem, to a general principle, [p. 1352] Cic. Or. 36, 126.—

In augury: perpetua fulmina, perpetual lighlnings, i. e. whose prognostics refer to one's whole life, Sen. Q. N. 2, 47, 1.—

In gram.:

perpetuus modus,

the infinitive mood, Diom. p. 331 P. —Hence, adv., in three forms, perpetuo (class.), perpetuum ( poet.), and perpetue (late Lat.).

perpĕtŭō, constantly, uninterruptedly, perpetually, always, forever, utterly, hopelessly:

perpetuon' valuisti?

Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 15:

metuo ne technae meae perpetuo perierint,

id. Most. 3, 1, 23:

dico ut perpetuo pereas,

id. Pers. 2, 4, 10; so,

perpetuo perire,

Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 13:

opinionem retinere,

Cic. Agr. 3, 1, 2:

loquens,

id. Ac. 2, 19, 63:

sub imperio esse,

Caes. B. G. 1, 31; Ov. M. 10, 97.—

perpĕtŭum, constantly, uninterruptedly, perpetually:

uti,

Stat. S. 1, 1, 99.—

perpĕtŭē, constantly, Cassiod. in Psa. 62, 4.

dĕcem-vĭri (in MSS. and old edd. often Xviri), um or ōrum ( gen. -virum, Cic. Agr. 2, 15, 39; 2, 21, 56; id. Rep. 2, 36, 61; Varr. L. L. 9, § 85 Müll.; Liv. 27, 8; 40, 12: -virorum only in Liv., where it is very freq.), m. [vir], a college or commission of ten men, the decemviri or decemvirs, Roman magistrates of various kinds.

The most famous were called decemviri legibus scribundis, the composers of the Twelve Tables, who ruled alone, and absolutely, in the years of Rome 303 to 305 (legally only 303 and 304; hence "neque decemviralis potestas ultra biennium," Tac. A. 1, 1), Cic. Rep. 2, 36 sq.; Liv. 3, 32 sq.; Gell. 20, 1, 3.—In sing., Cic. Rep. 2, 36 fin.; Liv. 3, 33 fin.; 40; 46; 48 al. The fragments which remain of these laws form one of the most important monuments of the early Latin language; and have been critically edited by R. Schoell, Leips., 1866; cf. Momms. Rom. Hist. book 2, ch. 2; Lange, Röm. Alter. 1, 535 sqq.; Wordsworth, Fragm. p. 503 sq.—

Decemviri stlitibus (litibus) judicandis, a standing tribunal for deciding causes involving liberty or citizenship, and which represented the praetor, Cic. Or. 46, 156; Suet. Aug. 36; Dig. 1, 2, 2, § 29; Corp. Inscr. Lat. 8, 38 (A. U. C. 615); cf. Cic. Caec. 33, 97. —In the sing., Inscr. Orell. no. 133 and 554. —

Decemviri agris dividundis, a commission for distributing the public land to the people, Cic. Agr. 1, 6 sq.; 2, 7 sq.; Liv. 31, 4 and 42; cf.:

X. VIR. A. D. A. (i. e. decemviri agris dandis assignandis),

Inscr. Orell. 544.—

Decemviri sacris faciundis, a college of priests who preserved the Sibylline books, had charge of the Apollinaria, etc.; its number in the time of the emperors was increased to sixty, Liv. 10, 8; 25, 12 al.—In sing., Inscr. Orell. 554.

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