was a term made use of in the Roman law, and may be thus explained; every father had such a regal authority over his son, that before the son could be released from his subjection and made free, he must be three times over sold and bought, his natural father being the vender. The vendee was called pater fiduciarus. After this fictitious bargain, the pater fiduciarus sold him again to the natural father, who could then, but not till then, manumit or make him free. The imaginary sale was called mancipatio; and the act of giving liberty or setting him free after this was called emancipatio.