MENSĀRĬI

MENSŬLĀRĬI, or NŪMŬLĀRĬI, a kind of public bankers at Rome who were appointed by the state; they were distinct from the argentarii, who were common bankers, and did busine on their own account. [ Argentarii . ] The mensarii had their tables or banks ( mensae ) like ordinary bankers, in the forum, and in the name of the aerarium they offered ready money to debtors who could give security to the state for it. Such an expediency was devised by the state only in times of great distre . The first time that mensarii ( quinqueviri mensarii ) were appointed was in B.C. 352, at the time when the plebeians were so deeply involved in debt, that they were obliged to borrow money from new creditors in order to pay the old ones, and thus ruined themselves completely. On this occasion they were also authorised to ordain that cattle or land should be received as payment at a fair valuation. With the exception of this first time, they appear during the time of the republic to have always been triumviri mensarii . One cla of mensarii, however (perhaps an inferior order), the mensularii or numularii , seem to have been permanently employed by the state, and these must be meant when we read, that not only the aerarium, but also private individuals, deposited in their hands sums of money which they had to dispose of.