QWESTOR, guars'-tor, or QUJESITOR, qua-sr tor, a name applied in common to the members of two sets of Roman magistrates, who pep. formed very different functions. They were 1. QU.ESTORES fERARII, qua's-to'-reS the Commissioners of the Treasury (and the Record-office), annually appointed by the Senate to receive, take charge of, and disburse, the public money under the orders of the House. They were originally two, but four after 421 B.C., two remaining as Quersttires in the city, and two going with the Consuls to take charge of the military chest and the plunder. Other four were added on the subjugation of Italy, about the beginning of the first Punic war ; Sulla increased the eight to twenty, and Julius C.msar made the number forty. The Qumstors were chosen exclusively from the Patricians till 421 B.C., and when the numbers were increased they were distributed among the provincial governors, except, of course, the Qumstores Urbani. The Qtrastfira was regarded as the lowest of the great offices of state, and the Qumstors had no outward mark of distinction. Under the Empire the fErdrizenz was chiefly transferred to the Prm tors. Two Qumstors were attached to each consul, and the emperor had a special officer, Quastor Prin'cifiis, who for one year acted as a principal secretary of state, and drew up and communicated to the Senate the imperial re scripts, and when the emperor was also Consul he had two Qumstors,called QzretstoresCa'sliris. 2. QU1ESTORES PARRICIDII, par-ri-cr-di-i, ex traordinary magistrates, appointed in primitive times at Rome to preside at criminal trials, originally at those for homicide. The Dicer/I s/17i Perthitelidnis, nominated by Tullis Hostilius for the trial of Horatius, and the Durenlviri who investigated the charge of treason against Manlius and the charge against C. Rabirius, belonged to this class of magis
trates (see TRIUMVIRI CAPITALES). From these were derived the QuasitUres or magis trates to whom the Comitia, which possessed the right of judging in all causes affecting the rights of Roman citizens, delegated its powers when the number of trials increased. The earliest appointment of these latter was 413 B. c., when the Consuls were appointed Qumstors, or special commissioners for investigating the murder of Postumius by his soldiers. Gradually all criminal trials passed to these judicial Qumstors, whose special commission, or Quas' Zia, was assisted by a Consil'ium, or body of assessors, or a jury. After 10 by the Calptrnia lex de Reffritundis, standing com missions, QU/ESTIONES PERPETUE, quces-ti-Y nes appointed. Each Quasar PerMira took cognizance of one class of offences only, and though a permanent court, it was regarded as only a delegacy of the people. Any one might lodge an accusation in it. Each of these courts consisted of the Qumstor or Judge, who was either a prmtor or one specially nominated Yu'dex Quastilnis, and the Consilium of 7irclices or Jurors, who were necessarily Senators till 122 B.C., when Gracchus transferred the Yiidicia, by his Lex Senrfirania, to the Equestrian order, with whom the generally remained, despite the efforts of the Senate, till the abrogation of Cracchus's law by Sulla, 81 ; but by the Aurelia lex of Aurelius Cotta, 70, the judicia were divided among the Senate, Equestrian order, and Tribuni ./Erarli, but the latter were deprived by Pompey, 55.