- Source
- Digesta Iustiniani Augusti. Mommsen, Theodor & Krueger, Paul, editors. Berlin: Weidmann, 1870.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:1.16.9.pr-1.16.9.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-24
Concerning the duties of a proconsul, this passage outlines the limits of dispatching matters by petition, informal out-of-court proceedings, the management of advocates, and the duty to provide advocates for the disadvantaged and those oppressed by powerful adversaries.
[IDEM libro primo de officio proconsulis.]
[THE SAME, from the first book On the Office of Proconsul.]
nec quicquam est in prouincia, quod non per ipsum expediatur. sane si fiscalis pecuniaria causa sit, quae ad procuratorem principis respicit, melius fecerit, si abstineat.1
And there is nothing in the province that is not dispatched through him. Of course, if there is a financial case concerning the treasury, which relates to the emperor’s procurator, he will have done better if he abstains.
Ubi decretum necessarium est, per libellum id expedire proconsul non poterit: omnia enim, quaecumque causae cognitionem desiderant, per libellum non possunt expediri.
Where a decree is necessary, the proconsul cannot dispatch it by petition; for all matters that require a judicial investigation of the cause cannot be dispatched by petition.
Circa aduocatos patientem esse proconsulem oportet, sed cum ingenio,2 ne contemptibilis uideatur, nec adeo dissimulare, si quos causarum concinnatores uel redemptores depraehendat, eosque solos pati postulare, quibus per edictum eius postulare permittitur.
The proconsul ought to be patient toward advocates, but with intelligence, lest he appear contemptible; nor should he overlook it if he detects any promoters or contractors of lawsuits, and he should permit only those to plead who are allowed to plead by his edict.
De plano autem proconsul potest expedire haec: ut obsequium parentibus et patronis liberisque patronorum exhiberi iubeat: comminari etiam et terrere filium a patre oblatum, qui non ut oportet conuersari dicatur, poterit de plano: similiter et libertum non obsequentem emendare aut uerbis aut fustium castigatione.
On the other hand, the proconsul can dispatch these matters out of court: to order that respect be shown to parents, patrons, and the children of patrons; he will also be able, out of court, to threaten and intimidate a son presented by his father, who is said not to behave as he ought; likewise, to correct a disobedient freedman either with words or with a beating of cudgels.
Obseruare itaque eum oportet, ut sit ordo aliquis postulationum, scilicet ut omnium desideria audiantur, ne forte dum honori postulantium datur uel improbitati ceditur,3 mediocres desideria sua non proferant, qui aut omnino non adhibuerunt, aut minus frequentes neque in aliqua dignitate positos aduocatos sibi prospexerunt.
Therefore, he ought to see to it that there is some order of pleadings, namely, that the wishes of all are heard, lest perhaps, while deference is shown to the status of the pleaders or concession is made to their impudence, those of moderate means do not bring forward their requests, who either have not employed advocates at all, or have provided themselves with advocates who are less frequent in court or placed in no position of dignity.
Aduocatos quoque petentibus debebit indulgere plerumque: feminis uel pupillis uel alias debilibus uel his, qui suae mentis non sunt,4 si quis eis petat: uel si nemo sit qui petat, ultro eis dare debebit. sed si qui per potentiam aduersarii non inuenire se aduocatum dicat, aeque oportebit ei aduocatum dare. ceterum oprimi aliquem per aduersarii sui potentiam non oportet: hoc enim etiam ad inuidiam eius qui prouinciae praeest spectat, si quis tam impotenter se gerat, ut omnes metuant aduersus eum aduocationem suscipere.
He must also generally grant advocates to those who request them: to women, or wards, or others who are weak, or those who are not of sound mind, if anyone requests it for them; or if there is no one to request it, he must grant them on his own initiative. But if anyone says that he cannot find an advocate because of the power of his adversary, he must likewise grant him an advocate. For indeed, no one ought to be oppressed by the power of his adversary; for this even tends to the discredit of the person who rules the province, if anyone behaves so overbearingly that all fear to undertake advocacy against him.
Quae etiam omnium praesidum communia sunt et debent et ab his obseruari.
These things are also common to all governors of provinces and must be observed by them as well.
- 1.16.9.prmelius fecerit, si abstineat
A conditional sentence combining the perfect subjunctive (or future perfect indicative) fecerit with the present subjunctive si abstineat. In classical Latin, this construction is used to express recommended, prudent conduct or potentiality in a hypothetical scenario.
- 1.16.9.2patientem esse proconsulem oportet, sed cum ingenio
An accusative with infinitive construction (patientem esse proconsulem) governed by the impersonal verb oportet. In the phrase sed cum ingenio, the verb esse (or another verb of behavior such as se gerere) is omitted and must be supplied from the context to mean 'but he should be so with intelligence.'
- 1.16.9.4dum honori postulantium datur uel improbitati ceditur
Both datur and ceditur are used as impersonal passives, expressing the situation 'while deference is shown to...' and 'while concession is made to...' without specifying a particular agent.
- 1.16.9.5qui suae mentis non sunt
The genitive phrase suae mentis is a genitive of quality, describing the mental state of the subject (qui). Combined with non, it denotes those who are 'not of sound mind.'