in Roman antiquity, an authentic declaration made before the censors, by the several subjects of the empire, of their respective names and places of abode. This declaration was registered by the censors, and contained an enumeration, in writing, of all the estates, lands, and inheritances they possessed; their quantity, quality, place, wives, children, domestics, tenants, slaves.

The census was instituted by Servius Tullius, and was held every five years. It was of great service to the republic, because, by means of it, they discovered the number of citizens capable of bearing arms, and the money they could afford for the expense of a war. It went through all ranks of people, though under different names: that of the common people was called censores; that of the knights, censores; that of the senators, lictio, relatio.

The census which intitled one to the dignity of a knight, was 400,000 sesterces; that of a senator, was double that sum.

In the Voconian law, census is used for a man, whose estate in the censor's books is valued at 100,000 sesterces.