OP THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

“ capital of the world;” on the reverse, chap.St. Peter delivering a banner to a kneeling sena-tor in his cap and gown, with the name and armsof his family impressed on his shield. 1 ’ With Thepre-the empire, the prefect of the city had declined city,to a municipal officer; yet he still exercised inhe last appeal the civil and criminal jurisdic-tion ; and a drawn sword, which he received fromthe successors of Otho, was the mode of his in-vestiture and the emblem of his functions/

The dignity was confined to the noble familiesof Rome : the choice of the people was ratifiedby the pope; but a triple oath of fidelity musthave often embarrassed the prefect in the con-flict of adverse duties/ A servant, in whomthey possessed but a third share, was dismissedby the independent Romans: in his place theyelected a patrician; but this title, which Charle-magne had not disdained, was too lofty for a

* In his twenty-seventh dissertation on the Antiquities of Italy (tom. ii, p. 559-6611), Muratori exhibits a series of the senatorian coins,which bore the obscure names of affortiati , vifortiati, provisini , paparini.During this period all the popes, without excepting Boniface VIII ,abstained from the right of coining, which w as resumed by his successorBenedict XI , and regularly exercised in the court of Avignon .

r A German historian, Gerard of Keicherspeg (in Balua. Miscell.tom v, p. 61, apud Schmidt, Hist, des Allemands, tom. iii, p. 265),thus describes the constitution of Home in the eleventh century:Grandiora urbis ct orbis negotia spectant ad Romanum pontificemitemque ad Romanum imperatorem j sive illius vicarium urbis praefec*turn, qtii de su& dignitate respicit utrumqne, videlicet domintim papamcui facitiiomagium et dominum imperatorem a quo accipit stue potes*tatis insigne, scilicet gladiuin exerlum.

* The words of a contemporary writer (Pandnlph. Pisan, in Vit.Paschal II , p. 357, 358) describe the election and oath of the prefectin 1118, inconsultis patribus .... loest prafectoria .... Landes pr»-fectorlie .... comiforum applausum .... juraturnm populo in um-boucm sublevant .... confirmari eum in ui be piicfcctnm petunt.