in Roman antiquity, was a distribution of corn, provision, clothes, money, and the like, amongst the people. Gracchus, when tribune, in order to render himself popular, passed a law for supplying the Roman citizens with corn out of the public granaries at a very low rate. Claudius, another tribune, with the same view to popular applause, procured it to be distributed gratis. Cato, to win the common people from Caesar, persuaded the senate to do the same; and three hundred thousand citizens shared in the distribution. Caesar, after his triumph, extended his bounty to a hundred and fifty thousand, giving them each a mina. The Roman emperors enlarged still further the list of those who were to partake of their distributions. Largitio is frequently taken in a bad sense, to signify masked or secret bribery, by which candidates purchased votes when they stood for places of honour or trust in the state. The distribution of money was called congiarium, and the distributors divisors and sequestrés.