his judgments at the annual assembly in March, at the capital Ticinum.
The importance of this concurrence of the _judices_ in all the king's
decrees and official acts is illustrated by the fact that cases are
rare in which this concurrence remains unmentioned. The usual practice
is to introduce in the prologue which is commonly attached to the laws
given out during each year of the king's reign, after the mention of
the date "Kalendiis Martiarum," some such expression as "cum nostris
Judicibus";[17] or "ad nos conjungerentur Judices";[18] or "per
suggestionem Judicum";[19] to which is sometimes added the formula
"omniumque consensum,"[19] or "cum reliquis nostris Langobardis
fidelis." That legislation was not considered valid until such consent
and advice was obtained, we can see from the prologue to the laws
issued in the thirteenth year of the reign of Liutprand, in which he
refers to certain important "causae" which had come under his
jurisdiction, and for which additional legislation was necessary, the
laws already existing failing to reach them. To meet the exigency new
laws are enacted, but the king especially states that the cases must
remain in abeyance until the new laws are confirmed by the _judices_
at the next assembly in March. In speaking of these "causae" in the
above-mentioned prologue to the laws, he says: "Proinde providimus eas
usque ad suprascriptum diem Kalendii Martiarum suspendere dum usque
nostri ad nos conjungerentur judices," etc.[20] This attendance at the
royal _placita_ represents the most important of the legislative
duties of the _judex_ outside of his own jurisdiction.

Of other duties which caused him to leave the seat of his authority,
the only ones we need here consider are his military duties; and with
regard to these it will be sufficient to point out that the _judex_
was the leader in war of the vassals and lesser lords, and indeed of
all the inhabitants of the _judiciaria_ who were entitled or