amongst the Romans, were persons of the second degree of nobility, immediately succeeding the senators in point of rank. The equites or knights were required to be possessed of 400 sesterces before they could be admitted into that order; and when the knights were so reduced as to fall short of the pre- scribed revenue, they were expunged out of the eques- trian list. The equitrian revenue just mentioned a- mounted to about 10,000 crowns.

Part of the ceremony whereby the honour of knight- hood was conferred amongst the Romans was the giving of a horse; for every eques or knight had a horse kept at the public charge, he received also the stipend of a horsemanship to serve in the wars, and wore a ring which was given him by the state. The equites composed a large body of men, and constituted the Roman cavalry; for there was always a sufficient number of them in the city, and nothing but a review was requisite to fit them for service.

The knights at last grew too powerful, were a bal- ance for the senate and people, neglected the exercises of war, and betook themselves to civil employments. The equites were liable to be punished by the censors, and to suffer degradation. They were degraded by tak- ing from them the horse which was kept for each of them at the public charge; this was called equum adi- mere.