2. Quĭrīs, ītis, and mostly plur., Quĭ-rītes, tĭum (or tum, Aus. Prof. 22, 9), m. [Cures].
- I. Originally, the inhabitants of the Sabine town Cures, the Quirites (very rare): prisci Quirites, Verg. A. 7, 710 Serv.: veteres illi Sabini Quirites, Col. praef. § 19.
After the Sabines and the Romans had united in one community, under Romulus, the name of Quirites was taken in addition to that of Romani, the Romans calling themselves, in a civil capacity, Quirites, while, in a political and military capacity, they retained the name of Romani: post foedus Titi (Tatii) et Romuli placuit, ut quasi unus de duobus fieret populus. Unde et Romani Quirites dicti sunt, quod nomen Sabinorum fuerat a civitate Curibus; et Sabini a Romulo Romani dicti sunt, Serv. Verg. A. 7, 710; cf. Liv. 1, 13.
Joined with populus Romanus, the technical expression is usually POPVLVS ROMANVS QVIRITIVM, qs. the Roman commonwealth of Quirite citizens, the Roman nation of Quirites; but not unfreq. also in apposition: POPVLO ROMANO QVIRITIBVS (like homines prisci Latini, and populus priscorum Latinorum): QVOD BONVM FORTVNATVM FELIXQVE SALVTAREQVE SIET POPVLO ROMANO QVIRITIVM, REIQVE PVBLICAE POPVLI ROMANI QVIRITIVM … OMNES QVIRITES, PEDITES ARMATOS PRIVATOSQVE VOCA INLICIVM HVC AD ME, Tab. Censor. ap. Varr. L. L. 6, § 86 Müll.: populo Romano Quiritium, Liv. 8, 9; 41, 16: populus Romanus Quiritium, id. 1, 32: populi Romani Quiritium, id. 1, 24; 32; 10, 28; 22, 10 al.
In the other form: POPVLD ROMANO QVIRITIBVS, Inscr. Marin. Fratr. Arv. tab. 24, 1, 34; cf. id. ib. 41, 2, 24; so, an ancient formula ap. Gell. 1, 12, 14, acc. to the MSS.; so, too, id. 10, 24, 3; Macr. S. 1, 4 fin.
We rarely meet with the form populo Romano Quiritibusque, Liv. 8, 6 (al. om. que); cf. Paul. ex Fest. s. v. dici, p. 67 Müll.: devovisse eos se pro patriā Quiritibusque Romanis, Liv. 5, 41: Quiritium Romanorum exercitus, id. 26, 2: factum hoc populi Romain Quiritibus ostentum Cimbricis bellis, to the citizens of the Roman nation, Plin. 16, 32, 57, § 132.
It was a reproach for soldiers to be addressed as Quirites, Tac. A. 1, 42; Suet. Caes. 70; Lampr. Alex. Sev. 52 sq.; Luc. 5, 358: Quiritium fossae dicuntur, quibus Ancus Marcius circumdedit urbem, quam secundum ostium Tiberis posuit, ex quo etiam Ostiam, et quia populi opera eas faceret, appellavit Quiritium, Fest. p. 254 Müll.: jus Quiritium, full Roman citizenship: ago gratias, domine, quod et jus Quiritium libertis necessariae mihi feminae, et civitatem Romanam Harpocrati iatraliptae meo indulsisti, Plin. Ep. 10, 6 (22), 1: Latinis jus Quiritium (constituit), Suet. Claud. 19: Latini jus Quiritium consequuntur his modis, beneficio principali, etc., Ulp. Reg. tit. 4, de Latinis.
Sing.: Quiris (also Quiritis, acc. to Prisc. p. 633 P.), a Roman citizen, a Quirite: ollus Quiris Leto datus, an ancient formula in Fest. p. 254 Müll.: dona Quiritis, Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 7: reddere jura Quiriti, Ov. M. 14, 823: minimum de plebe Quiritem, id. Am. 1, 7, 29; Juv. 8, 47: quibus una Quiritem Vertigo facit, makes a Roman citizen, sets free (for in the ceremony of manumission the slave was turned around), Pers. 5, 75: quis te redonavit Quiritem Dis patriis? an uninjured Roman citizen, Hor. C. 2, 7, 3: epulis repleto Quirite, i. e. populo Romano, Claud. Carm. 12, 16: Romani more Quiritis, i. e. civis, Luc. 2, 386: Quiris Eoüs, an eastern Roman, i. e. an inhabitant of Constantinople, Sid. Carm. 1, 31.
In fem.: Q. TVLLIVS Q. F. PONTIFEX SACR. IVNONIS QVIRITIS, Inscr. Grut. 308, 1.
- II. (Poet. transf.) Of bees, citizens, commonalty: ipsae regem, parvosque Quirites Sufficiunt, Verg. G. 4, 201.