EQUITES

(or ‘knights;’ Lat. equus, horse) an ancient Rom, order, originally military, then political. In Republican times they were (1) the egures equo publico (only patricians), who were furnished with horses; (2) eguttes equo volunteers; (3) 12 squadrons: (100 each). of plebeians. Gradually the order took lé part in military affairs and became financial and plutocratic, as against the: senatorial aristocracy. All who had 400,000 sesterces were: at length’ called: equites. O. Gracchus gave: them’ the: power over juries, and’ the’ taxes of Asia; and to: him the equestrian order’ also: owes, probably, the privilege of wearing’ the senatorial gold ring. Cicero got their help in crushing Cat i line’s conspiracy, and it was his favorite idea to unite them with the Senate. August us reconstituted them on a military plan. After Constantinople became the Imperial capital, they practically ceased to exist. EQUITY, the system in law of a supplemental law, administered in certain courts. It is founded on defined rules, recedents, and established principles. udges have considerable latitude in expounding the law of equity and developing it to meet new conditions. While equity aims to a ist the defects of the common law by extending relief to those rights of property which the strict law does not recognize and by giving more ample redre than are afforded by the ordinary tribunals, equity in no manner either controls, modifies, or supercedes the common law. It rather guides itself by its analogies and does not a ume any power to subvert the doctrines of the common law. Equity courts grant redre to all parties where they have rights and modify and fashion that redre according to circumstances, They bring before them all the parties interested in the subject gaa of the suit and adjust the rights of EQUIVALENT PROPORTIONS, LAW OF. See CupmistRY. 1536), Dutch scholar and theologian; b. Rotter dam; natural s. of Roger i us Gerardus; ed. in monastic schools at Bois-leDuc and Delft; became sec. of bp. of Cambrai, and pursued his studies at the College Montaigu at Paris. In 1498, at the instance of Lord Mount joy, he paid a visit to England, studied Gk. at Oxford, and formed _a close _ friendship with Sir Thomas More. He did not remain long in England on this occasion and several years following were spent in -Paris, Orleans, the Netherlands, and in Italy, where he made the acquaintance of the Venetian printer, Aldus Manutius, and became, for a while, tutor to the abp. of St. Andrews, s. of James IV. of Scotland. He spent the years 1509-14 in England, acting as Lady Margaret rof. of Divinity at Cambridge. The tter part of his life was spent at Basel. His publications include Adagia, the Ciceroni an us, and numerous other works; of these the best known is his famous satire, the Praise of Folly. Having taken priest’s orders while employed by the bp. of Cambrai, E. remained faithful to the Church of Rome throughout his. life, but this did not prevent him from criticising with great severity the vice and ignorance of the clergy, which attacks caused him to have many enemies. His writings were marked by perfect sanity and broadne of view, and his influence was very widespread both as critic and theologian. E. was perhaps the greatest figure of the Renai ance. theologian of Heidelberg and Basel; opposed political conceptions of Church which gave it coercive power apart from State; gave his name to Hrastianism though differing from it, not really subordinating Church to State. astronomer and scientist; 6b. Cyrene: superintendent of Alexandrian library; computed earth’s circumference; d. by voluntary starvation. He e-Darmstadt, Germany.