were the provincial underlings of the Magister or master
collector who resided at Rome. The taxes were farmed by a contractor
called the Manceps; this Manceps divided his contract into different
societies; each society had a Magister, under whom were a number of
underlings called Publicani or servants of the state.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894