Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Magister

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

MAGIS'TER. A word very generally applied to any person who has a command or authority as the chief over a number of others; e. g. magister populi, the dictator (Cic. Fin. iii. 22.); magister equitum, the officer who commanded the cavalry under the dictator (Liv. iii. 27.); magister morum, the censor (Cic. Fam. iii. 13.).

2. In the navy, the magister was an officer answering to our master; he directed the navigation of the vessel, gave orders to the steersman, sailors, and rowers; and sat under the tent (thronus) at the stern of the vessel, as in the annexed example (Magister/2.1), from the Vatican Virgil. (Liv. xxix. 25. xlv. 42.) In the commercial marine he answered to what we call a skipper, to whom the charge of the vessel and crew was entrusted by the owners, under whose instructions he acted. (Ulp. Dig. 14. 1. 1.) But these accurate distinctions are not always observed.

3. In civil offices the term answers to our principal, president, or chairman of the board, as, magister societatis, the director of a company (Cic. Fam. xiii. 9.); magister vicorum, a parish overseer, elected by the inhabitants of each vicus, to manage the parochial affairs of the district (Suet. Aug. 30. Tib. 76.); and the chairman or president of any corporate body. Inscript. ap. Grut. 489. 10. ap. Marin. Fr. Arv. n. xv.

4. In private and social life, the president at a feast and drinking bout (Apul. Apol. p. 556.); also termed rex convivii, arbiter bibendi, and συμποσίασχος by the Greeks. He was elected by a throw of the dice, regulated all the proceedings, fixed the proportions in which the water and wine were to be mixed, the quantity each person was to drink, exacted the fines for breaches of order, and, in short, his word was to be a command. Hor. Od. ii. 7. 25. Sat. ii. 2. 123. Xen. An. vi. 1. 30.

5. Magister ludi. (Plaut. Bacch. iii. 3. 37.) Same as LUDI MAGISTER.

6. Under the empire, Magister was a title given to the chiefs of several departments or offices in the state and Imperial household; as, magister epistolarum, a chief secretary who answered letters on behalf of the emperor; magister libellorum, who received and answered petitions; magister memoriae, who received the decisions from the emperor's mouth, and communicated them to the parties interested; magister scriniorum, who had the custody of all the documents and papers belonging to the emperor; magister officiorum, a sort of chamberlain at the Imperial court, who attended and assisted at audiences, &c. Ammian. Cassiodor. Spartian. Lamprid. Inscript. &c.

7. The title of magister militum or armorum was given by Constantine to each of the two generals who respectively commanded in chief over each branch of the army, the infantry and cavalry. Ammian.

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  Magister/2.1