Theinstitutionofthedomestictribunal[20]suppliedthemagistracyestablishedamongtheGreeks。[21]
Thehusbandsummonedthewife’srelatives，andtriedherintheirpresence。[22]Thistribunalpreservedthemannersoftherepublic；andatthesametimethoseverymannersmaintainedthistribunal。Foritdecidednotonlyinrespecttotheviolationofthelaws，butalsoofmanners：now，inordertojudgeoftheviolationofthelatter，mannersarerequisite。Thepenaltiesinflictedbythistribunaloughttobe，andactuallywere，arbitrary：forallthatrelatestomanners，andtotherulesofmodesty，canhardlybecomprisedunderonecodeoflaws。Itiseasyindeedtoregulatebylawswhatweowetoothers；butitisverydifficultofcompriseallweowetoourselves。
Thedomestictribunalinspectedthegeneralconductofwomen：buttherewasonecrimewhich，besidetheanimadversionofthistribunal，waslikewisesubjecttoapublicaccusation。Thiswasadultery；whetherthatinarepublicsogreatadepravationofmannersinterestedthegovernment；orwhetherthewife’simmoralitymightrenderthehusbandsuspected；orwhether，infine，theywereafraidlestevenhonestpeoplemightchoosethatthiscrimeshouldratherbeconcealedthanpunished。
11。InwhatMannertheInstitutionschangedatRome，togetherwiththeGovernment。Asmannersweresupportedbythedomestictribunal，theywerealsosupportedbythepublicaccusation；andhenceitisthatthesetwothingsfelltogetherwiththepublicmanners，andendedwiththerepublic。[23]
Theestablishingofperpetualquestions，thatis，thedivisionofjurisdictionamongthepr？tors，andthecustomgraduallyintroducedofthepr？torsdeterminingallcausesthemselves，[24]weakenedtheuseofthedomestictribunal。Thisappearsbythesurpriseofhistorians，wholookuponthedecisionswhichTiberiuscausedtobegivenbythistribunalassingularfacts，andasarenewaloftheancientcourseofpleading。