cing himself under the protection of a lord
(see FEUDALISM), and in ecclesiastical law to the granting of benefices
_in commendam_. A benefice was held _in commendam_ when granted either
temporarily until a vacancy was filled up, or to a layman, or, in case
of a monastery or abbey, to a secular cleric to enjoy the revenues and
privileges for life (see ABBOT), or to a bishop to hold together with
his see. An act of 1836 prohibited the holding of benefices _in
commendam_ in England.

COMMENTARII (Lat. = Gr. [Greek: hypomnemata]), notes to assist the
memory, memoranda. This original idea of the word gave rise to a variety
of meanings: notes and abstracts of speeches for the assistance of
orators; family memorials, the origin of many of the legends introduced
into early Roman history from a desire to glorify a particular family;
diaries of events occurring in their own circle kept by private
individuals,--the day-book, drawn up for Trimalchio in Petronius
(_Satyricon_, 53) by his _actuarius_ (a slave to whom the duty was
specially assigned) is quoted as an example; memoirs of events in which
they had taken part drawn up by public men,--such were the
"Commentaries" of Caesar on the Gallic and Civil wars, and of Cicero on
his consulship. Different departments of the imperial administration and
certain high functionaries kept records, which were under the charge of
an official known as a _commentariis_ (cf. _a secretis_, _ab
epistulis_). Municipal authorities also kept a register of their
official acts.

The _Commentarii Principis_ were the register of the official acts of
the emperor. They contained the decisions, favourable or unfavourable,
in regard to certain citizens; accusations brought before him or ordered
by him; lists of persons in receipt of special privileges. These must be
distinguished from the _commentarii diurni_, a daily court-journal. At a
later period records called _ephemerides_ were kept by order of the
emperor; these were much used by the Scriptores Historiae Augustae (see
AUGUSTAN HISTORY). The _Commentarii Senatus_, only once mentioned
(Tacitus, _Annals_, xv. 74) are probably identical with the Acta Senatus
(q.v.). There were also Commentarii of the priestly colleges: (a)
_Pontificum_, collections of their decrees and responses for future
reference, to be distinguished from their _Annales_, which were
historical records, and from their _Acta_, minutes of their meetings;
(b) _Augurum_, similar co