(from *censere*, to estimate or judge), one of the principal magistrates in ancient Rome. Their business was to register the effects of the Roman citizens, to impose taxes in proportion to what each man possessed, and to take cognizance or inspection of the manners of the citizens. In virtue of this last part of their office, they had authority to censure vice or immorality, by inflicting some public mark of ignominy on the offender. They had even a power to create the *princeps senatus*, and to expel from the senate such as they deemed unworthy of that office. But this power they sometimes exercised without sufficient grounds; and therefore a law was at length passed that no senator should be degraded or disgraced in any manner until he had been formally accused and found guilty by both the censors. It was also a part of the censorial jurisdiction to fill up the vacancies in the senate, upon any remarkable deficiency in their number; or let out to farm all the lands, revenues, and customs, of the republic; and to contract with artificers for the charge of building and repairing all the public works and edifices both in Rome and the colonies of Italy. In all parts of their office, however, they were subject to the jurisdiction of the people; and an appeal always lay from the judgment of the censors to that of an assembly of the people.

The first two censors were created in the year of Rome II, upon the senate observing that the consuls were so much occupied with war as not to have time to look into other matters. The office continued to the time of the emperors, who assumed the censorial power, calling themselves *mores prefecti*; though Vespasian and his son took also the title of censors. Decius attempted to restore the dignity to a particular magistrate. But after this there was no more of it till the time of Constantine, who made his brother censor; and he seems to have been the last who enjoyed the office.

The office of censor was so considerable that for a long time no one aspired to it till he had passed all the rest; hence it was thought aspiring in Crassus to seek to be admitted as censor, without having been either consul or praetor. At first the censors enjoyed their dignity for five years; but in 420 the Dictator Mamercus made a law restraining it to a year and a half, which was afterwards observed very strictly. At first one of the censors was elected out of a patrician, and the other out of a plebeian family; and upon the death of either the other was discharged from his office, and two new ones elected, though not till the next lustrum. In the year of Rome 652, both censors were chosen from among the plebeians; and after that time the office was shared between the senate and the people. On their election in the *comitia centuriata*, the censors proceeded to the capitol, where they took an oath not to be guided either by favour or disaffection, but to act equitably and impartially throughout the whole course of their administration.

**Censors of Books**, persons authorized in different countries to examine all books before they go to the press, and to take care that they contain nothing contrary to faith and good manners. In England we had formerly an officer of this kind, under the title of licenser of the press; but since the revolution our press has been laid under no such restraint. See Bibliography.