EDILE (edilis), in Roman antiquity, a magistrate whose chief business was to superintend buildings of all kinds, but more especially public ones, as temples, aqueducts, bridges, &c. To the ediles likewise belonged the care of the highways, public places, weights and measures, &c. They also fixed the prices of provisions, took cognizance of debauches, punished lewd women, and such persons as frequented gaming houses. The custody of the plebiscita, or orders of the people, was likewise committed to them. They had the inspection of comedies and other pieces of wit; and were obliged to exhibit magnificent games to the people, at their own expence, whereby many of them were ruined. To them also belonged the custody of the plebiscita, and the censure and examination of books. They had the power, on certain occasions, of issuing edicts; and, by degrees, they procured to themselves a considerable jurisdiction, the cognizance of various causes, &c. This office ruined numbers by its expensiveness; so that, in Augustus's time, even many senators declined it on that account.
All these functions which rendered the ediles so considerable belonged at first to the ediles of the people, ediles plebeii, or minores: these were only two in number, and were first created in the same year as the tribunes: for the tribunes, finding themselves oppressed with the multiplicity of affairs, demanded of the senate to have officers, with whom they might intrude matters of less importance; and accordingly two ediles were created; and hence it was that the ediles were elected every year at the same assembly as the tribunes. But these plebeian ediles having refused, on a signal occasion, to treat the people with shows, as pleading themselves unable to support the expence thereof, the patricians made an offer to do it, provided they would admit them to the honours of the edilate. On this occasion there were two new ediles created, of the number of the patricians, in the year of Rome 388; they were called ediles curules, or maiores: as having a right to sit on a curule chair, enriched with ivory, when they gave audience; whereas the plebeian ediles only sat on benches.—Besides that the curule ediles shared all the ordinary functions with the plebeian, their chief employ was, to procure the celebration of the grand Roman games, and to exhibit comedies, shows of gladiators, &c. to the people; and they were also appointed judges in all cases relating to the selling or exchanging estates.
To ease these four first ediles, Cæsar created a new kind, called ediles cereales, as being deputed chiefly to take care of the corn, which was called donum cereris; for the Heathens honoured Ceres as the goddess who presided over corn, and attributed to her the invention of agriculture. These ediles cereales were also taken out of the order of patricians. In the municipal cities there were ediles, and with the same authority as at Rome.
We also read of an ediles alimentarius, expressed in abbreviation by Edil. alm. whose business seems to have been to provide diet for those who were maintained at the public charge, though others assign him a
different office.—In an ancient inscription we also meet Edilitium with adile of the camp, edilis castrorum.