in the Roman armies, certain supernumerary soldiers, designed to supply the places of those who should be killed or otherwise disabled. They were thus denominated, quia accensebantur, or ad censum ad- jiciebantur. 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, slings and weapons que feruntur, 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 adscriptiti, 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 ushers, serjeants or tipstaves among us. They were thus called from accire, to send for; one part of their office being to call assemblies ACC

of the people, summon parties to appear and answer before the judges, &c.

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