QUESTOR, or QUESTOR, in Roman antiquity, an officer
who had the management of the public treasure. The
questorship was the first office which any person could hold
in the commonwealth, and have a right to sit in the senate.
At first there were only two; but afterwards two more were
created to take care of the payment of the armies abroad,
and to sell the plunder, for which purpose they generally
accompanied the consuls in their expeditions. On this ac-
count the latter were called peregrini, as the former were
called urbani. The number of questors was afterwards
greatly increased. They had the keeping of the decrees
of the senate; and hence came the two offices of quastor
principis, or augusti, sometimes called candidatus principis,
whose office resembled in most respects that of our secre-
taries of state, and the quastor palatii, answering in a great
measure to our lord-chancellor.