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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §3.2.2.pr-3.2.2.5

Ignominious Discharge and Infamy for Appearing on Stage

Passage 460 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpian explains in detail the definition and scope of 'dismissal from the army with ignominy' (ranging from common soldiers to generals, and the four categories of dismissal), and further elucidates the scope of infamy incurred by 'appearing on the stage', citing Labeo, Pegasus, and others.

[ULPIANUS libro sexto ad edictum. ] §3.2.2.prQuod ait praetor: 'qui ab exercitu dimissus erit': dimissum accipere debemus militem caligatum, uel si quis alius usque ad centurionem, uel praefectum cohortis uel alae uel legionis, uel tribunum siue cohortis siue legionis dimissus est.
[ULPIANUS, in his Sixth Book on the Edict.] Regarding what the Praetor says, 'he who is dismissed from the army', we ought to understand 'dismissed' as referring to the common soldier, or if anyone else up to a centurion, or a prefect of a cohort, of a wing, or of a legion, or a tribune of either a cohort or a legion has been dismissed.
hoc amplius Pomponius ait etiam eum, qui exercitui praeest, licet consularibus insignibus utitur, ignominiae causa ab imperatore missum hac nota laborare: ergo et si dux cum exercitui praeest dimissus erit, notatur, et si princeps dimiserit et adiecerit ignominiae causa se mittere, ut plerumque facit, non dubitabis et ex edicto praetoris eum infamia esse notatum: non tamen si citra indignationem principis successor ei datus est.
In addition to this, Pomponius says that even he who commands an army, although he uses consular insignia, if dismissed by the Emperor for the sake of ignominy, suffers from this mark of infamy; therefore, even if a general is dismissed while commanding an army, he is noted with infamy, and if the Emperor dismisses him and adds that he dismisses him for the sake of ignominy, as he usually does, you will not doubt that he is also noted with infamy under the Edict of the Praetor; however, this is not the case if a successor is given to him without the anger of the Emperor.
§3.2.2.1Exercitum autem non unam cohortem neque unam alam dicimus, sed numeros multos militum: nam exercitui praeesse dicimus eum, qui legionem uel legiones cum suis auxiliis ab imperatore commissas administrat: sed hic etiam eum, qui ab aliquo numero militum missus est, quasi ab exercitu missum sic accipiemus.
Now, by 'army' we do not mean a single cohort or a single wing, but a large number of soldiers; for we say that a person commands an army who administers a legion or legions committed to him by the Emperor along with their auxiliary forces; but here we shall also understand one who is dismissed from any body of soldiers as if he were dismissed from an army.
§3.2.2.2'Ignominiae causa missum': hoc ideo adiectum est, quoniam multa genera sunt missionum.
'Dismissed for the sake of ignominy': this has been added because there are many kinds of dismissal.
est honesta, quae emeritis stipendiis uel ante ab imperatore indulgetur: est causaria, quae propter ualetudinem laboribus militiae soluit: est ignominiosa.
There is the honorable dismissal, which is granted upon completion of service, or earlier by favor of the Emperor; there is that for medical reasons, which releases a soldier from the labors of military service on account of his health; there is the ignominious dismissal.
ignominiosa autem missio totiens est, quotiens is qui mittit addidit nominatim ignominiae causa se mittere: semper enim debet addere, cur miles mittatur.
An ignominious dismissal occurs as often as he who dismisses adds specifically that he dismisses him for the sake of ignominy; for he must always add why the soldier is being dismissed.
sed et si eum exauctorauerit, id est insignia militaria detraxerit, inter infames efficit, licet non addidisset ignominiae causa se eum exauctorasse.
But even if he has cashiered him, that is, stripped him of his military insignia, he makes him one of the infamous, although he did not add that he cashiered him for the sake of ignominy.
est et quartum genus missionis, si quis euitandorum munerum causa militiam subisset: haec autem missio existimationem non laedit, ut est saepissime rescriptum.
There is also a fourth kind of dismissal, if someone had entered military service for the sake of avoiding civic duties; but this dismissal does not damage his reputation, as has been very frequently stated in imperial rescripts.
§3.2.2.3Miles, qui lege Iulia de adulteriis fuerit damnatus, ita infamis est, ut etiam ipsa sententia eum sacramento ignominiae causa soluat.
A soldier who has been condemned under the Lex Julia on adulteries is so infamous that the very sentence itself releases him from his military oath for the sake of ignominy.
§3.2.2.4Ignominia autem missis neque in urbe neque alibi, ubi imperator est, morari licet.
Moreover, those dismissed with ignominy are not permitted to remain either in the city or anywhere else where the Emperor is.
§3.2.2.5Ait praetor: 'qui in scaenam prodierit, infamis est'. scaena est, ut Labeo definit, quae ludorum faciendorum causa quolibet loco, ubi quis consistat moueaturque spectaculum sui praebiturus, posita sit in publico priuatoue uel in uico, quo tamen loco passim homines spectaculi causa admittantur.
The Praetor says: 'he who appears on the stage is infamous.' A stage is, as Labeo defines it, that which is set up in public or in private or in a street, in any place whatsoever where a person stands and moves to present a spectacle of himself for the sake of performing plays, provided that people are admitted to that place from all sides for the sake of the spectacle.
eos enim, qui quaestus causa in certamina descendunt et omnes propter praemium in scaenam prodeuntes famosos esse Pegasus et Nerua filius responderunt.
For Pegasus and Nerva the son responded that those who go down into contests for the sake of gain and all who appear on the stage for a reward are infamous.

Notes

  1. 3.2.2.prdimissum accipere debemus — The verb `accipere` is used here in the sense of "to understand" or "to interpret." It takes the accusative past participle `dimissum` (the dismissed person) as its object. The subsequent clause `uel si quis alius ... dimissus est` functions as an elliptical conditional clause indicating another class of persons to be understood in the same way.
  2. 3.2.2.2est honesta — The feminine singular adjective `honesta` modifies the feminine noun `missio` (dismissal), which is omitted but understood from the preceding phrase `multa genera sunt missionum`. The subsequent `est causaria` and `est ignominiosa` share the same structure.
  3. 3.2.2.3ipsa sententia eum sacramento ... soluat — A consecutive clause introduced by the correlation `ita ... ut` (so... that), containing the subjunctive present `soluat`. The ablative `sacramento` is an ablative of separation, dependent on `soluat` (to release/free from).
  4. 3.2.2.5spectaculum sui praebiturus — The future active participle `praebiturus` (masculine singular, agreeing with the subject `quis`) expresses intention or purpose. `sui` is the genitive of the reflexive pronoun, acting as an objective genitive with `spectaculum` ("a spectacle of oneself").

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §3.2.2.pr-3.2.2.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:3.2.2.pr-3.2.2.5

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