the chief and priest of a curia.—Romulus, upon dividing the people into curiae, gave each division a chief, who was to be priest of that curia, under the title of curio and flamen curialis. His business was to provide and officiate at the sacrifices of the curia, which were called curioria; the curia furnishing him with a sum of money on that consideration, which pension or appointment was called curiorium. Each division had the election of its curia; but all these particular curios were under the direction of a superior or general, called curio maximus, who was the head of the body, and elected by all the curios assembled in the comitia curialis.

All these institutions were introduced by Romu-