PATRI´MI
PATRI´MI,
ET MATRI´MI, also
called
Patrimes et Matrimes, were those children whose
parents were both alive (Festus, s. vv.
Flaminia, Matrimes;
called by Dionysius,
2.22,
ἀμφιθαλεῖς), in the same way as
pater patrimus signifies a father whose own father
is still alive (Festus, p. 234). Servius (
ad
Verg. G. 1.32), however, confines the term
patrimi et matrimi to children born of
parents who had been married by the religious ceremony called
confarreatio, and who were still alive; it appears
probable that this is the correct use of the term. We know that the
flamines majores were obliged to have been born of
parents who had been married by
confarreatio
(
Tac. Ann. 4.16; Gaius, 1.112); and as
the children called
patrimi et matrimi are
almost always mentioned in connexion with religious rites and ceremonies
(
Cic. dc Har. resp. 11;
Liv. 37.3;
Gel.
1.12;
Tac. Hist. 4.53; Macrob.
Saturn. 6; Vopisc.
Aurel.
19; Orelli,
Inscr. n. 2270), the statement of Servius is
rendered more probable, since the same reason which confined the office of
the
flamines majores to those born of parents
who had been married by
confarreatio, would
also apply to the children of such marriages, who would probably be thought
more suitable for the service of the gods than the offspring of other
marriages. It this restriction ceased when
confarreatio fell into disuse, it was at least still necessary
that the mother should not have been divorced: in such a case the children
would obviously cease to be
patrimi et matrimi.
There is, however, reason to think that the rite of
confarreatio was retained so far as to provide persons
qualified for priestly office [
MATRIMONIUM p. 140
b], and so the
patrimi et matrimi of late times may still
have been born from parents so married, though it is clear, from the
statement of Macrobius (
l.c.) that after the 3rd
century B.C. the service was no longer
restricted to
patrimi et matrimi, since the children of
libertini served also. For the religious
functions which required attendance of
patrimi et
matrimi, see CAMILLUS; ARVALES;
MATRIMONIUM, p. 143
b. (Rein,
Das röm. Privatrecht, p. 177; Göttling,
Gesch. d. röm. Staatsverf. p. 90; Marquardt,
Staatsverw. 3.227;
Privaleben, p. 70.)
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W.S] [
G.E.M]