bĕnĕfĭcĭum — Lewis & Short
bĕnĕfĭcĭum (better than bĕnĭfĭcĭ-um), ii, n.beneficus.
I A benefaction, kindness, favor, benefit, service, eu)erge/thma (sunt qui ita distinguunt, quaedam beneficia esse, quaedam officia, quaedam ministeria. Beneficium esse, quod alienus det:
alienus est, qui potuit sine reprehensione cessare: officium esse filii, uxoris et earum personarum, quas necessitudo suscitat et ferre opem jubet: ministerium esse servi, quem condicio sua eo loco posuit, ut nihil eorum, quae praestat, imputet superiori,Sen. Ben.3, 18, 1);—(in prose freq.; in poetry, for metrical reasons, only in play-writers; most freq. in Ter.).
A In gen.:
nullum beneficium esse duco id, quod, quoi facias, non placet,Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 12:
beneficium accipere,Ter. Ad. 2, 3, 1:
pro maleficio beneficium reddere,id. Phorm. 2, 2, 22:
immemor beneficii,id. And. 1, 1, 17:
cupio aliquos parere amicos beneficio meo,id. Eun. 1, 2, 69:
beneficium verbis initum re comprobare,id. And. 5, 1, 5:
nec enim si tuam ob causam cuiquam commodes, beneficium illud habendum est, sed feneratio,Cic. Fin. 2, 35, 117; id. Off. 2. 20, 70:
beneficio adligari: beneficio victus esse,Cic. Planc. 33, 81; cf.:
Jugurtham beneficiis vincere,Sall. J. 9, 3:
collocare,Cic. Off. 1, 15, 49 al.; 2, 20, 69:
dare,id. ib. 1, 15, 48; id. Fam. 13, 8, 3' deferre, id. Off. 1, 15, 49: conferre in aliquem, id. ib. 1, 14, 45: quia magna mihi debebat beneficia, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 12, 1:
in republicā multo praestat benefici quam malefici immemorem esse,Sall. J. 31, 28:
senatus et populus Romanus benefici et injuriae memor esse solet,id. ib. 104, 5; Petr. 126, 4:
in iis (hominibus) beneficio ac maleficio abstineri aecum censent,Liv. 5, 3, 8:
immortali memoriā retinere beneficia,Nep. Att. 11, 5 al.—Of the favor of the people in giving their vote:
quidquid hoc beneficio populi Romani atque hac potestate praetoriā possum,Cic. Imp. Pomp. 24, 69, and 71.—
B Esp.
1 Beneficio, through favor, by the help, aid, support, mediation:
beneficio tuo salvus,thanks to you, Cic. Fam. 11, 22, 1; 13, 35, 1:
nostri consulatūs beneficio,by means of, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 1, § 6:
servari beneficio Caesaris,Vell. 2, 71, 1:
hoc beneficio,by this means, Ter. Heaut. 2, 4, 14:
sortium beneficio,by the lucky turn of, Caes. B. G. 1, 53 Herz.:
longissimae aetatis,Quint. 3, 1, 9:
ingenii,id. 2, 11, 2; 5, 10, 121:
eloquentiae,Tac. Or. 8 al.; cf.: fortunae beneficium, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 4, 2.—
(b) In gen., by the agency of:
quod beneficio ejus contingit,Dig. 39, 2, 40, § 1:
beneficio furis,ib. 47, 2, 46 pr.—
2 Alicujus beneficii facere (habere, etc.), to make dependent on one's bounty or favor (post-Aug.):
commeatus a senatu peti solitos benefici sui fecit,Suet. Claud. 23:
ut munus imperii beneficii sui faceret,Just. 13, 4, 9; cf.:
adeo quidem dominis servi beneficia possunt dare, ut ipsos saepe beneficii sui fecerint,Sen. Ben. 3, 18, 4:
sed nihil habebimus nisi beneficii alieni?Quint. 10, 4, 6.—
II Transf. to political life.
A A distinction, support, favor, promotion (esp. freq. after the Aug. per.):
coöptatio collegiorum ad populi beneficium transferebatur,Cic. Lael. 25, 96; id. Phil. 2, 36, 91:
quibus omnia populi Romani beneficia dormientibus deferuntur,Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 70, § 180:
in beneficiis ad aerarium delatus,among those recommended to favor, id. Arch. 5, 11 Halm. ad loc.; id. Fam. 7, 5, 3:
cum suo magno beneficio esset,under great obligation to his recommendation, id. Phil. 8, 6 Wernsd.; Flor. 4, 2, 92; cf. Suet. Tit. 8.—So,
2 Esp. freq. of military promotions (whence beneficiarius, q. v.):
quod scribis de beneficiis, scito a me et tribunos militaris et praefectos... delatos esse,Cic. Fam. 5, 20, 7:
ut tribuni militum... quae antea dictatorum et consulum ferme fuerant beneficia,Liv. 9, 30, 3:
beneficia gratuita esse populi Romani,id. 45, 42, 11; Hirt. B. Afr. 54, 5:
per beneficia Nymphidii,promoted, advanced through the favor of Nymphidius, Tac. H. 1, 25; 4, 48 Lips.:
beneficii sui centuriones,i. e. his creatures, Suet. Tib. 12:
Liber beneficiorum or Beneficium,the book in which the public lands that were bestowed were designated, Hyg. Limit. Const. p. 193 Goes.; Arcad. ib. p. 260.—So, SERVVS. A. COMMENTARIIS. BENEFICIORVM., Inscr. Grut. 578, 1.—
B A privilege, right (post-Aug.):
anulorum,Dig. 48, 7, 42:
religionis,ib. 3, 3, 18:
militaris,ib. 29, 1, 3.—Hence, liberorum, a release from the office of judge, received in consequence of having a certain number of children, Suet. Claud. 15; Dig. 49, 8, 1, § 2.—
C Personified, as a god:
duos omnino (deos credere), Poenam et Beneficium,Plin. 2, 7, 5, § 14.