MANUM,  VBTUS,  vel  MAGNUM,  a  lafgc,  obloDg,  opoH  space,  between
the  Gapitoline  and  Fahitine  hills,  now  the  cow-market,  where
the  assemblies  of  the  people  were  held,  where  justice  was
administered,  and  public  business  transacted,'  &c.,  instituted  by
Romulus,  and  surrounded  with  porticos,  shops,  and  buildings^
by  Tarquinius  Friscus.  These  shops  were  chieAy  occupied  by
bankers  (argentarii),  hence  called  arobntarls,  sc  tdbernm^
VKTBRBs ;  hence  ratio  pecuniarum,  qtuB  inforo  vernatur,  the  state
of  money  matters;  Jidem  de  foro  toUere,  to  destroy  public
credit ;  inforo  versari,  to  trade ;  *  Jbro  cedere,  to  become  bank-
rupt, rel  in  foro  eum  rum  habere  ;  but  de  foro  decedere,  not  to
appear  in  public ;  inforo  esse^  to  be  engaged  in  public  businesB^
vel  dare  operam  foro ;  fori  tabes,  the  rage  of  litigation ;  i*
alienoforo  iitigare,  to  follow  a  business  one  does  not  understand.^

Around  the  forum  were  built  spacious  halls,  caUed.  basilicjc,
where  courts  of  justice  might  sit,  and  other  public  business  be
transacted ; '  not  used  in  early  times,  adorned  with  columns  and
porticos,^  afterwards  conTerted  into  Christian  churches.  The
forum  was  altogether  surrounded  by  arched  porticos,  with
proper  places  left  for  entrance.^

Near  the  rostra  stood  a  statue  of  Marsyas,  vel  -a,  who  having
presumed  to  challenge  Apollo  at  singing,  and  being  vanquished,
was  flayed  alive.^  Hence  his  statue  was  set  up  in  the  forum,  to
deter  unjust  litigants.
There  was  only  one  forum  under  the  republic.  Julius  Cssar
added  another,  the  area  of  which  cost  h.  s.  miUies,  i.  e.  £807,291 :
13:4,  and  Augustus  a  third ;  hence  trina  fora,  triplex  fobum.^"
Domitian  began  a  fourth  forum,  which  was  finished  by  Nerva,
"  and  named,  from  him,  forum  NBRVis ;  called  also  transitoriuh,
because  it  served  as  a  convenient  passage  to  the  other  three.
