in the Roman armies, certain supernumerary soldiers, designed to supply the places of those who should be killed or anywhere disabled. They were thus denominated, quia accensabantur, or ad censo adsciebantur. Vegetius calls them supernumerarii legionum. Cato calls them ferentarii, in regard they furnished those engaged in battle with weapons, drink, &c. Though Nonnus suggests another reason of that appellation, viz. because they fought with stones, flings, and weapons que ferruntur, such as are thrown, not carried in the hand. They were sometimes also called velites, and velati, because they fought clothed, but not in armour; sometimes adscripticii, and adscriptivi; sometimes rorarii. The accensi, Livy observes, were placed at the rear of the army, because no great matter was expected from them: they were taken out of the fifth class of citizens.

in antiquity, denotes an inferior order of officers, appointed to attend the Roman magistrates, somewhat in the manner of usher, sergeants, or tipstaves among us. They were thus called from accire, to send for; one part of their office being to call assemblies of the people, summon parties to appear and answer before the judges, &c.

was also an appellation given to a kind of adjutants, appointed by the tribune to assist each centurion and decurion. In which sense, accensus is synonymous with optio. In an ancient inscription, given by Á Torre, we meet ACCENSUS EQUITUM ROMANORUM; an office nowhere else heard of. That author supposes it for a corruption; and instead thereof reads, A CENSIBUS.