Edict against Latin Instructors of Rhetoric

92 BC as dictated by censors Domitius Ahenobarbus ad Lucius Licinius Crassus
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era)

EDICTUM ADVERSUS LATINOS RHETORES

Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus L. Licinius Crassus censores ita edixerunt:

[So the censors Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Lucius Licinius Crassus have declared publicly:]

Renuntiatum est nobis esse homines, qui novum genus disciplinae instituerunt, ad quos iuventus in ludum conveniat;

[Any men, who have set up any unusual type of firm to which our youths might convene for school, will incur our denunciation;]

eos sibi nomen imposuisse Latinos rhetoras;

[Same for men who have taken upon the title of "Latin rhetoricians"]

ibi homines adulescentulos dies totos desidere.

[men in this field only spend the whole day lusting for young boys.]

Maiores nostri, quae liberos suos discere et quos in ludos itare vellent, instituerunt.

[Our forefathers have already established which books they wanted taught and which schools they wanted attended.]

 haec nova, quae praeter consuetudinem ac morem maiorum fiunt, neque placent neque recta videntur.

[These unusual things, transgression against our tradition and national customs, neither seem worthwhile or proper.]

Quapropter et iis, qui eos ludos habent, et iis, qui eo venire consuerunt, videtur faciundum, ut ostenderemus nostram sententiam, nobis non placere.

[Wherefore, we feel obligated to show our displeasure towards any men who set these schools up, and those who have consent to attend them, and so have we made our judgment public.]

Roman Senate's Decree against Bacchic Festivals

SENATUS CONSULTUM DE BACCANALIBUS

(1) [Q(uintus)] Marcius L(uci) f(ilius), S(purius) Postumius L(uci) f(ilius) co(n)s(ules) senatum consoluerunt n(onis) Octob(ribus), apud aedem (2) Duelonai.

[The consuls, Quintus Marcius, son of Lucius, and Spurius Postumius, son of Lucius, have convened the Senate on the Nones of October on the estate of Duelona.]

Sc(ribundo) arf(uerunt) M(arcus) Claudi(us) M(arci) f(ilius), L(ucius) Valeri(us) P(ubli) f(ilius), Q(uintus) Minuci(us) C(ai) f(ilius), De Bacanalibus quei foideratei (3) esent, ita exdeicendum censuere:

[Marcus Claudius, son of Marcus, Lucius Valerius, son of Publius, and Quintus Minucius, son of Gaius, are treatymakers and have shown up for the purpose of this inscription--so they have decreed the following:]

«Neiquis eorum [B]acanal habuise velet.

["No of these men present has wished to hold a Bacchic festival.]

seiques (4) esent, quei sibei deicerent necesus ese Bacanal habere, eeis utei ad pr(aitorem) urbanum (5) Romam venirent, deque eeis rebus, ubei eorum v[e]r[b]a audita esent, utei senatus (6) noster decerneret,

[And if any men should exist, who might say that they find it necessary to hold a Bacchic festival, they should come and make use of the City Praetor in Rome, and on these matters, and after they have heard their arguments, just as our own Senate body decreed,]

dum ne minus senator[i]bus C adesent, [quom e]a res cosoleretur.

[while no less than 100 senators were present to resolve the matter.]

 (7) Bacas vir nequis adiese velet ceivis Romanus neve nominus Latini neve socium (8) quisquam,

[Let no man wish to attend Bacchic festivities, whether he be a Roman citizen, or Latin by origin, or one of our allies,]

nisei pr(aitorem) urbanum adiesent, isque [d]e senatuos sententiad,

[that is, unless they consult the Praetor of the City, and he informs the senators of his judgment,]

dum ne (9) minus senatoribus C adesent, quom ea res cosoleretur, iousisent.

Ce[n]suere.

[and there being not less that a hundred senators present to resolve the matter, they grant approval. So the Senate has decreed.]


(10)| sacerdos nequis uir eset.
[No one should be legally allowed to be one of its priests.]

Magister neque uir neque mulier quisquam eset.
[Neither an officeholder, a man, nor a woman, no one!]

(11) neve pecuniam quisquam eorum comoine[m h]abuise velet.
[Nor should any one be allowed to hold a communal fund for it.]

Neve magistratum, (12) neve pro magistratu[d], neque virum [neque mul]ierem qui[s]quam fecise velet.
[Nor should anyone, man or women, be allowed to create a position or act with any authority regarding it.]

(13) Neve post hac inter sed conioura[se nev]e comvovise neve conspondise (14) neve conpromesise velet, neve quisquam fidem inter sed dedise velet.
[Nor should be allowed, if found guilty, to settle, arrange or enact marriages, nor be allowed to make any oaths among themselves.]

(15) Sacra in [o]quoltod ne quisquam fecise velet.
[Let no one be allowed to conduct any rituals relating to this matter.]

Neve in poplicod neve in (16) preivatod neve exstrad urbem sacra quisquam fecise velet, nisei (17) pr(aitorem) urbanum adieset, isque de senatuos sententiad, dum ne minus (18) senatoribus C adesent, quom ea res cosoleretur, iousisent.
[Let no one be allowed to conducted these rituals in public or private, or even outside our city, unless he consults the Praetor of the City, and he brings the matter to the Senate, so long as no less than 82 of our senators are present to decide upon the matter.]

Censuere.
[So the Senate has decreed.]

(19) Homines plous V oinvorsei virei atque mulieres sacra ne quisquam (20) fecise velet,
[Let more than 5 adult males and women ever have performed these rituals,]

neve inter ibei virei plous duobus, mulieribus plous tribus (21) arfuise velent, nisei de pr(aitoris) urbani senatuosque sententiad, utei suprad (22) scriptum est.»
[nor among them more than 2 men, and more than 3 women present, unless approved by the Praetor of the City and senators, following the rules written above.] 



Haice utei in coventionid exdeicatis ne minus trinum (23) noundinum,
[Let you speak in this kind of gathering uness you are of proper age, 39]

senatuosque sententiam utei scientes esetis,
[and you should then know the declaration of the Senate to be such,]

 eorum (24) sententia ita fuit:
[This was their declaration:]

 «Sei ques esent,
[If there should be men present,]

 quei arvorsum ead fecisent,
[and should they have do things like these against the law]

 quam suprad (25) scriptum est,
[as it has been written above,]

eeis rem caputalem faciendam censuere».
[they have agreed that these offenders need suffer the death penalty.]

 atque utei (26) hoce in tabolam ahenam inceideretis,
[and you should also inscribe this upon a bronze tablet,]

 ita senatus aiquom censuit,
[as thusly the Senate decreed,]

 (27) uteique eam figier ioubeatis,
[and may you order that it be fixed somewhere]

 ubei facilumed gnoscier potisit.
[where it can be seen and read most easily.]

Atque (28) utei ea Bacanalia, sei qua sunt,
[and these Bacchic festivals, wherever they might be,]

exstrad quam sei quid ibei sacri est,
[treat it as if were something against our religion]

(29) ita utei suprad scriptum est,
[so as it has been written above,]

in diebus X,
[in 10 days,]

 quibus vobeis tabelai datai (30) erunt,
[shall these tablets be bequeathed to you all]

faciatis utei dismota sient.
[so make an effort to drive away these festivals.]
 

FIN

Gaius, Commentaries

Gaius the jurist 

130-170 AD
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Era)

[I. De iure civili et naturali.]

[Concerning civil and natural law.]

1. Omnes populi, qui legibus et moribus reguntur, partim suo proprio, partim communi omnium hominum iure utuntur:

[All peoples who are governed by laws and national custom make some use of their own legal system and some use of one recognized by all men:]

Nam quod quisque populus ipse sibi ius constituit, id ipsius proprium est vocaturque ius civile, quasi ius proprium civitatis;

[You see, whatever system of law a population establishes for itself, this system of theirs is technically assigned the appellation of 'civil law', in much the same respect as the jurisdiction of a city.]

 quod vero naturalis ratio inter omnes homines constituit, id apud omnes populos peraeque custoditur vocaturque ius gentium, quasi quo iure omnes gentes utuntur.

[Indeed, whatever the natural order of things has established among all human beings is protected by all nations, no matter where, and called the 'international law,' in much the same respect as though all populations operate under this system of law.]

 Populus itaque Romanus partim suo proprio, partim communi omnium hominum iure utitur. Quae singula qualia sint, suis locis proponemus.

[And so, the Roman people operate partly according to its very own legal system, and partly according the common jurisdiction of all human beings.]

2. Constant autem iura populi Romani ex legibus, plebiscitis, senatus consultis, constitutionibus principum, edictis eorum, qui ius edicendi habent, responsis prudentium.

[But the laws derive from precedents set by Roman government, acts of the common assembly, recommendations by the Senate, decrees by the emperor and their edicts--these men have the right to make proclamations--and responses of legal experts.]

3. Lex est, quod populus iubet atque constituit.

[The 'law' is whatever the people command and decide.]

 Plebiscitum est, quod plebs iubet atque constituit.

[A 'plebescite' is whatever the plebeian order commands and decides.]

Plebs autem a populo eo distat, quod populi appellatione universi cives significantur, connumeratis et patriciis;

[Still, the plebeian order differs from the people in the respect that the people are all 'citizens' by name, including patricians in their numbers;]

plebis autem appellatione sine patriciis ceteri cives significantur;

[but to be 'plebeian' means any citizens who are not patricians by name;]

unde olim patricii dicebant plebiscitis se non teneri, quia sine auctoritate eorum facta essent;
[from this, long ago, the patrician class used to say that they could not be held accountable by legal acts of the common folk, because they were not made with any sense of authority;]

sed postea lex Hortensia lata est, qua cautum est, ut plebiscita universum populum tenerent:
[but later on, the Hortensian Law was established, whereby it was decreed that acts of the common folk held the force of law over the entire population.]

Itaque eo modo legibus exaequata sunt.
[And so in this fashion, the laws came to level to a playing field.]



4. Senatus consultum est, quod senatus iubet atque constituit;
[The senatorial final decree is the declaration the Senate orders after it has decided.]

idque legis vicem optinet,
[It takes the place of our normal legal procedure]

quamvis [de ea re] fuerit quaesitum.
[however much shall have been deliberated about the matter.]

5. Constitutio principis est,
[A consitutional decree is act of the emperor]

 quod imperator decreto vel edicto vel epistula constituit.
[which the emperor has either decided by public decree, or via a written statement.]

 Nec umquam dubitatum est,
[It has never become a matter of doubt]

 quin id legis vicem optineat,
[as to whether this actually holds the force of law,]

 cum ipse imperator per legem imperium accipiat.
[since the emperor, by his own rights, takes upon himself the power of the state through the enactment of legal procedure.]


6. Ius autem edicendi habent magistratus populi Romani.
[In any event, the magistrates of the Roman people have the sole right to make legal proclamations.]

 Sed amplissimum ius est in edictis duorum praetorum, urbani et peregrini,
[but most of all does the legal system rely on the public proclamations of the two praetors, the one over the city and the one over foreign affairs,]


 quorum in provinciis iurisdictionem praesides earum habent;
[the jurisdiction of whose is by possessed by their presiding members in the provinces]

 item in edictis aedilium curulium, quorum iurisdictionem in provinciis populi Romani quaestores habent;
[at the same time, the law is expressed in the public proclamations of the seated aediles, whose jurisdiction the quaestors of the Roman people possess over the provinces]

nam in provincias Caesaris omnino quaestores non mittuntur,
[you see, in no way are the matters sent to provinces in the possession of Caesar]

et ob id hoc edictum in his provinciis non proponitur.
[and on account of this, this kind of public proclamation is not even proposed in these provinces.]

7. Responsa prudentium sunt sententiae et opiniones eorum,
[The declarations and opinions of these are the responses of prudent men,]

 quibus permissum est iura condere.
[to whom it was permitted to establish codes of law.]


 Quorum omnium si in unum sententiae concurrunt,
[If the decrees of all these aforementioned items agree in unison,]

 id, quod ita sentiunt, legis vicem optinet;
[that, upon which they so agree, holds the power of law.]