Juris civilis initia et progressus. Ad leges XII. Tabularum brevis commentatio. Ex Ulpiani Fragmentorum Tituli XXIX. selectis notis illustrati. Gaii ex veteris jurisprudentiae Fragmentis Institutionu

These remains exist in Gellius, book 17, chapter 2. The first verse is also read in the 2nd book of Rhetorica ad Herennium. The law seems to order the judge to learn the cause in the comitium or in the forum from the speech of both litigants.

Comitium.

The Comitium, says Varro, is so named because they used to meet there for the curiate assemblies and for the sake of lawsuits. Hence that statement of Cicero in Brutus: "Let them come into the comitium to the standing judge."

A significant place concerning the assemblies is described from an ancient oration of C. Titius by Macrobius, book 3, chapter 16.

From Gellius in the same place.

AFTER MIDDAY, ADJUDICATE THE LAWSUIT TO THE ONE PRESENT: IF BOTH ARE PRESENT.

The law desires the presence of both litigants when the lawsuit is to be adjudicated; for this reason, it was instituted that if one were absent, the other would seek an edict from the Praetor, by which the absent party would be ordered to be present within ten days: if he did not come, then a second edict, and likewise a third: with these proposed, then a peremptory one would be proposed, by which every opportunity for evasion would be cut off for the adversary, since it is announced in this that the matter will be heard and judged even if the adversary is absent.

From Gellius, book 17, chapter 2. Varro, book 5, On the Latin language.

LET SUNSET BE THE LAST TIME LIMIT.

Macrobius, book 1 of Saturnalia, chapter 3: "The last time limit, that is, the latest time of the day: as it is expressed in the XII Tables," etc.

Midday.

Censorinus, book On the Birthday, chapter 19: "Midday, which is the name for the middle of the day."

Censorinus, in the same book, and Pliny, book 7, chapter 60, argue that the name of 'hours' was unknown at Rome for three hundred years, since only sunrise and sunset are named in the XII Tables.