Lat. In Roman law. This was the name of one of the legis ‘actiones. It was employed only In certain particular kinds of pecuniary cases, and con- ‘sisted in that the creditor, without preliminary suit and without the co-operation of the magistrate, by reciting a prescribed formula, took an article of property from the debtor to be treated as a pledge or security., The proceeding bears a marked analogy to distress at common law. Mackeld. Rom. Law, 3 208: Gaius, bk. 4, §§ 26-29.