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. In the provinces the census served not only to discover the substance of each person, but where, and in what manner and proportion, taxes might be best imposed. The census at Rome is commonly thought to have been held every five years; but Dr Middleton hath shown, that both census and lustrum were held irregularly and uncertainly at various intervals. The census was an excellent expedient for discovering the strength of the state; for by it they discovered the number of the citizens, how many were fit for war, and how many for offices of other kinds; how much each was able to pay of taxes, &c. It went through all ranks of people, though under different names: that of the common people was called *census*; that of the knights, *census, recensio, recognitio*; that of the senators, *lectio, relectio*.—Hence also *census* came to signify a person who had made such a declaration; in which sense it was opposed to *incensus*, a person who had not given in his estate or name to be registered.

The census, according to Salmasius, was peculiar to the city of Rome. That in the provinces was properly called *professio* and *ἀπογραφή*. But this distinction is not everywhere observed by the ancients themselves.

*CENSUS* was also found for the book or register wherein the professions of the people were entered: In which sense, the census was frequently cited and appealed to as evidence in the courts of justice.

*CENSUS* is also used to denote a man's whole substance or estate.

*CENSUS Senatorius*, the patrimony of a senator, which was limited to a certain value; being at first rated at 800,000 sesterces, but afterwards, under Augustus, enlarged to 1,200,000.

*CENSUS Equesiter*, the estate or patrimony of a knight, rated at 400,000 sesterces, which was required to qualify a person for that order, and without which no virtue or merit was available.

*CENSUS* was also used for a person worth 100,000 sesterces, or who was entered as such in the census tables, on his own declaration. In which sense, census amounts to the same with *classicus*, or a man of the first class; though Gellius limits the estate of those of this class to 125,000 asses. By the Voconian law, no census was allowed to give by his will above a fourth part of what he was worth to a woman.

*CENSUS* was also used to denote a tax or tribute imposed on persons, and called also *capitatio*. See *Capite Censi*.

*CENSUS Dominiciatus*, in writers of the lower age, denotes a rent due to the lord.

*CENSUS Duplicatus*, a double rent or tax, paid by vassals to their lord on extraordinary or urgent occasions; as expeditions to the Holy Land, &c.

*CENSUS Ecclesiae Romanae*, was an annual contribution voluntarily paid to the see of Rome by the several princes of Europe.