COLLEGE (Lat. collegium, from collega, a person chosen along with others to a certain office), an association or body of men invested with certain powers or rights, performing certain duties, or engaged in some common employment or pursuit.
Collegium, among the Romans, was applied indifferently to such bodies, whether employed in the offices of religion, government, the liberal, or even the mechanical arts and trades; so that the word signified what is now called a corpora-
tion. Both before and under the empire the colleges were numerous; as the college of augurs, the college of capitolini, or of those who had the superintendence of the capitoline games; colleges of artificers, carpenters, potters, founders, locksmiths, engineers of the army, butchers, makers of military cassocks, bakers, musicians, &c. &c. The term was likewise applied to various magistrates; thus the tribunes of the plebs were called collegium tribunorum, and so forth. Plutarch observes, that it was Numa who first divided the people into colleges, in order that each consulting the interests of his college, and occupying himself therewith, might thus be prevented from entering into any general conspiracy against the public peace. Each of these colleges had distinct meeting-places or halls, and also a treasury and common chest, a register, a person to represent them upon public occasions, and acts of government. They had the privilege of manumitting slaves, of being legates, and of making bye-laws for their own body, provided these did not clash with those of the government.
There are various colleges among the moderns, founded on the model of those of the ancients. Such are the three colleges of the empire, viz.—
COLLEGE of Electors, or their Deputies, which formerly assembled in the diet of Ratisbon.
COLLEGE of Princes, or the body of princes, or their deputies at the diet of Ratisbon.
COLLEGE of Cities is, in like manner, the body of deputies which the imperial cities send to the diet.
COLLEGE of Cardinals, or the Sacred COLLEGE, a body composed of the three orders of cardinals. See CARDINAL.