[ULPIANUS libro octauo de officio proconsulis. ] §48.18.1.20In causa tributorum, in quibus esse rei publicae neruos nemini dubium est, periculi quoque ratio, quod seruo fraudis conscio capitalem poenam denuntiat, eiusdem professionem exstruat.
In tax cases, in which no one doubts that they are the sinews of the commonwealth, the consideration of danger also, which threatens a slave who is conscious of the fraud with capital punishment, should strengthen the declaration of the same.
§48.18.1.21Qui quaestionem habiturus est, non debet specialiter interrogare, an Lucius Titius homicidium fecerit, sed generaliter, quis id fecerit: alterum enim magis suggerentis quam requirentis uidetur.
He who is about to conduct a torture ought not to ask specifically whether Lucius Titius committed the homicide, but generally, who committed it; for the former seems to belong more to one who suggests than to one who inquires.
et ita diuus Traianus rescripsit.
And the divine Trajan so replied by rescript.
§48.18.1.22Diuus Hadrianus Calpurnio Celeriano in haec uerba rescripsit: 'Agricola Pompei Ualentis seruus de se potest interrogari.
The divine Hadrian replied by rescript to Calpurnius Celerianus in these words: 'Agricola, the slave of Pompeius Valens, can be interrogated concerning himself.
si, dum quaestio habetur, amplius dixerit,rei fuerit indicium, non interrogationis culpa'. §48.18.1.23Quaestioni fidem non semper nec tamen numquam habendam constitutionibus declaratur: etenim res est fragilis et periculosa et quae ueritatem fallat.
If, while the torture is being held, he should say more, it will be a disclosure of the matter, not the fault of the interrogation.' It is declared by constitutions that credit is not always, nor yet never, to be given to torture; for indeed it is a fragile and dangerous thing, and one which deceives the truth.
nam plerique patientia siue duritia tormentorum ita tormenta contemnunt, ut exprimi eis ueritas nullo modo possit: alii tanta sunt inpatientia, ut quoduis mentiri quam pati tormenta uelint: ita fit, ut etiam uario modo fateantur, ut non tantum se, uerum etiam alios criminentur.
For many, by their endurance or the hardness of the torture, so despise the torments that the truth can in no way be wrung from them; others are of such impatience that they would rather lie about anything than suffer the torments; thus it happens that they confess even in diverse ways, so as to incriminate not only themselves but also others.
§48.18.1.24Praeterea inimicorum quaestioni fides haberi non debet, quia facile mentiuntur.
Furthermore, credit ought not to be given to the torture of enemies, because they easily lie.
nec tamen sub praetextu inimicitiarum detrahenda erit fides quaestionis, §48.18.1.25causaque cognita habenda fides aut non habenda.
Yet, credit is not to be withdrawn from torture under the pretext of enmities, and after the case has been investigated, credit is either to be given or not to be given.
§48.18.1.26Cum quis latrones tradidit, quibusdam rescriptis continetur non debere fidem haberi eis in eos, qui eos tradiderunt: quibusdam uero, quae sunt pleniora, hoc cauetur, ut neque destricte non habeatur, ut in ceterorum persona solet, sed causa cognita aestimetur, habenda fides sit nec ne.
When someone has delivered up robbers, it is contained in certain rescripts that credit ought not to be given to them against those who delivered them up; but in others, which are fuller, this is provided, that it should not be strictly denied credit, as is customary in the person of others, but after the case has been investigated it should be evaluated whether credit is to be given or not.
plerique enim, dum metuunt, ne forte adprehensi eos nominent, prodere eos solent, scilicet impunitatem sibi captantes, quia non facile eis indicantibus proditores suos creditur.
For many, while they fear lest by chance those apprehended should name them, are accustomed to betray them, namely seeking impunity for themselves, because those who betray them are not easily believed when they inform against them.
sed neque passim impunitas eis per huiusmodi proditiones concedenda est, neque transmittenda allegatio dicentium idcirco se oneratos, quod eos ipsi tradidissent: neque enim inualidum argumentum haberi debet mendacii siue calumniae in se instructae.
But neither is impunity to be granted to them everywhere through betrayals of this kind, nor is the allegation of those to be passed over who say that they were burdened for the reason that they themselves had delivered them up; for this ought not to be held as an invalid argument of a lie or calumny directed against them.
§48.18.1.27Si quis ultro de maleficio fateatur, non semper ei fides habenda est: nonnumquam enim aut metu aut qua alia de causa in se confitentur.
If anyone confesses to a crime voluntarily, credit is not always to be given to him; for sometimes they confess against themselves either through fear or for some other reason.
et extat epistula diuorum fratrum ad Uoconium Saxam, qua continetur liberandum eum, qui in se fuerat confessus, cuius post damnationem de innocentia constitisset.
And there exists a letter of the divine brothers to Voconius Saxa, in which it is contained that he who had confessed against himself ought to be released, if his innocence was established after his condemnation.
cuius uerba haec sunt: 'Prudenter et egregia ratione humanitatis, Saxa carissime, Primitium seruum, qui homicidium in se confingere metu ad dominum reuertendi suspectus esset, perseuerantem falsa demonstratione damnasti quaesiturus de consciis, quos aeque habere se commentitus fuerat, ut ad certiorem ipsius de se confessionem peruenires.
Its words are as follows: 'Wisely and by an excellent principle of humanity, dearest Saxa, you condemned the slave Primitius, who was suspected of feigning a homicide against himself out of fear of returning to his master, while he persisted in his false statement, intending to inquire concerning his accomplices, whom he had likewise falsely claimed to have, so that you might arrive at a more certain confession of his concerning himself.
nec frustra fuit tam prudens consilium tuum, cum in tormentis constiterit neque illos ei conscios fuisse et ipsum de se temere commentum.
Nor was your so prudent counsel in vain, since during the torture it was established both that they were not his accomplices and that he himself had rashly lied about himself.
potes itaque decreti gratiam facere et eum per officium distrahi iubere, condicione addita, ne umquam in potestatem domini reuertatur, quem pretio recepto certum habemus libenter tali seruo cariturum'. hac epistula significatur, quasi seruus damnatus, si fuisset restitutus, ad eum pertinebit, cuius fuisset, antequam damnetur.
You can therefore grant the favor of your decree and order him to be sold through your office, with the condition added, that he should never return into the power of his master, whom we are certain will gladly be without such a slave once he has received the price.' By this letter it is implied, as if a condemned slave, if he should be restored, will belong to him whose property he had been before he was condemned.
sed praeses prouinciae eum quem damnauit restituere non potest, cum nec pecuniariam sententiam suam reuocare possit.
But a governor of a province cannot restore him whom he has condemned, since he cannot even revoke his own monetary judgment.
quid igitur? principi eum scribere oportet, si quando ei, qui nocens uideatur, postea ratio innocentiae constitit.
What then? He ought to write to the Emperor, if at any time the proof of innocence is established afterwards for him who seemed guilty.