in Roman antiquity, a public place within the city of Rome, where causes were judicially tried, and orations delivered to the people.

Forum was also used for a place of traffic, and answered to our market-place. These places were generally called *fora venalia*, in contradistinction to the former, which were called *fora civilia*.

The *fora civilia* were public courts of justice, commonly magnificent in themselves, and surrounded with porticoes and stately edifices. Of these, six were very remarkable: 1. *Forum Romanum*; 2. *Julianum*; 3. *Augustum*; 4. *Palladium*; 5. *Forum Trojani*; and, 6. *Forum Sallusti*. The *Forum Romanum* was the most noted, and is often styled simply *Forum*, by way of eminence. Here were the bar called *Rostro*, the *Comitium*, the sanctuary of *Saturn*, the temple of *Castor*, and other remarkable edifices. Of the *fora venalia*, or market-places, which were numerous, the chief were, the *forum boarium*, for oxen or beef; *swarium*, for swine; *pistorium*, for bread; *cupedinarium*, for dainties; and *olitorium*, for garden stuffs.

The Grecian *agora* corresponded exactly with the Roman *forum*, being places where courts and markets were indiscriminately held. At Athens they had many *fora*, but the chief of these were the old and the new.

**FORUM INDICERE** was the act of the praetor appointing the place in Rome where causes were to be tried. *Agere forum* denoted the bringing on causes out of Rome, in a Roman province, and was the same with *agere conven- tum*.