Under the emperors we find various towns in the provinces, as in Spain and Britain, which were erected into municipia. The members of these towns were Roman citizens, and administered the affairs of their own community, subject to the general laws by which all Roman citizens were bound. A municipium had a corporate character, under which all the municipes, that is, all the members of the city, were comprehended. It would appear as if the decurioces were sometimes considered as the corporate body representing the municipium. The municipium could IMO and be sued, and could acquire and hold property. The decuriones were the senate or council of a municipium ; and the two chief magistrates were called dunmviri. The municipia had also other local magistrates; and many of them had a mint, as we see from their extant coins. Thus the later municipia of the empire were in all respects like modern corporate towns, of which they were un doubtedly the origin and the type.
It follows from what has been said, that an Italian town was origin ally called municipinm, or the inhabitants municipes, solely with reference to the participation of the townsmen in the privileges of Roman citizens, and that under the republic such municipia were in all respects independent of Roman law in their internal organisation.
The municipia included in the third definition, and the later municipia erected under the emperors, were improperly so called, inasmuch as the inhabitants of these towns became, or were, Roman citizens, and in all respects subject. to Roman law.
The original signification of inunicipium in the old Roman constitu tion is discussed by Niebuhr (' Roman Mist; vol. ii.) in an instructive chapter, which contains all the necessary references. It is not easy, however, to assent to all this writer's opinions.
For a more extensive inquiry into this subject, the reader may consult F. Roth, ' De re tnunicipali Romanortim ;' Savigny, Geseh. do It. R. ire t. i. c. 2; and Heineccii Antiquitat. Roman. Syntag. App.,' lib. i., cap. v.