Tresviri

TRESVIRI, or TRIUMVIRI, in Roman antiquities, a board of three, either ordinary magistrates or extraordinary commissioners. i. Tresviri capilales, whose duty it was to assist the higher officials in their judicial functions, especially criminal, were first appointed about 289 B.C., unless they are to be identified with the Iresviri nocturni (Livy ix. 46, 3), who were in existence in 304. They possessed no criminal jurisdiction or jus prensionis (right of arrest) in their own right, but acted as the representatives of others. They kept watch over prisoners and carried out the death sentence (e.g. the Catilinarian conspirators were strangled by them in the Career Tullianum); took accused or suspected persons into custody; and exercised general control over the city police. They went the rounds by night to maintain order, and had to be present at outbreaks of fire. Amongst other things they assisted the aediles in burning forbidden books. It 'is possible that they were entrusted by the praetor with the settlement of certain civil processes of a semi-criminal nature, in which private citizens acted as prosecutors (see G. Gotz in Rheinisches] Museum} xxx. 162).

They also had to collect the sacramenta (deposit forfeited by the losing party in a suit) and examined the plea of exemption put forward by those who refused to act as jurymen. Caesar increased their number to four, but Augustus reverted to three. In imperial times most of their functions passed into the hands of the praefectus vigilum.