COLLE'GIUM, or CONLE'GIUM (from the word Colligo, " to collect or bring together"), literally signifies any association or body of men. The word Corpus was also used in the same sense, and those who were members of a col legium or corpus were hence called cor pored ; from which come our terms cor poration and corporators. The word Corporatio (Corporation) was also used under the Empire. The word Universi tas was sometimes used as equivalent to Collegium or Corpus, but it had also the more general signification of " com munity. or " collective body of citizens." In the Roman polity collegium signified' any association of persons such as the law allowed, and which was confirmed by special enactment or by a senates con sultum, or an imperial constitution, in which case it was called Collegium Le gitimum. A collegium necessarily con sisted of three persons at least. (Dig. 50, tit. 16, s. 85.) In general, any association for the pur pose of forming a collegium, unless it had the sanction of a senatus consultum, or of the emperor, was illegal (illicitum) ; but when dissolved, the members were al lowed to divide the property of the as sociation according to their respective shares. The members of a collegium were called Sodales : the terms and ob ject of their union or association might be any that were not illegal. They could make regulations for the administration of affairs, or by-laws as we call them, provided such regulations were not con trary to law. (Dig. 47, tit. 22.) A great variety of collegia (many of them like our companies or guilds) existed at Rome both before and under the empire, as we see by ancient writings and inscrip tions, such as the Collegia Fabromm, Pis torum, Pontificum, Fratrum Arvalium,Vi rorum Epulonnm, Augurum, &c. Some of these, such as the colleges of Pontifices and Augurs, were of a religious charac ter. These collegia possessed property as a corporate body ; and in the time of the emperor M. Antoninus, if they were collegia legitima, they could take a legacy r bequest (Dig. 34, tit. 5, s. 20) in their
corporate capacity. Collegia were al lowed, as a matter of course, to have a common chest, and an actor, syndicus or attorney, to look after their rights and interests, and appear ou their behalf. (Dig. 3, tit. 4, s. 1.) The maxims that what was due to a university was not due to the individual members, and that the debts of universities were not the debts of the individual members, and that even though all the members were changed, the university still existed, comprehend the essential notion of a corporation as now understood. In most cases the members probably filled up vacancies in their own body.
The word Collegium was also applied to various magistrates : the Tribunes of the Plebs were called Collegium Tribu forum ; and the Prretors, Collegium Prie torum. The word is also applied to the consuls, though they were only two (Liv. X. 22); and the two consuls were called Collegae with respect to one another. Varro (Ling. Lat. vi. 66) says that those Roman magistrates were called Collegae with respect to one another, who were elected at the same time (una lecti); and consistently with this explanation, it is stated by M. Messala (quoted by Gellius, xiii. 15), that the Censors were not col leagues of the consuls, but the Prietors were.
Besides the senses above mentioned, Collega was used to express any associate ; and Collegium to express any association of individuals. Accordingly Collegia are sometimes called Societates ; but the proper sense of Collegium must not be confounded with the proper sense of So cietas, which is merely a partnership. The nature of Roman corporate bodies is further considered under UNIVERSITY.
In England a COLLEGE is an Eleemo synary Lay Corporation, of the same kind as an hospital, and it exists as a cor porate body either by prescription or by the grant of the king. A college is not necessarily a place of learning. An hospital also is not necessarily a mere charitable endowment, but is sometimes also a place of learning, as Christ's Hos pital, London.