| EDICT
OF PETRONIUS ON ILLEGAL REQUISITIONS ( AD 133-137 ) |
| ( Johnson, Coleman-Norton & Bourne, Ancient Roman Statutes, Austin, 1961, p. 206, n. 247 ). |
| The
difficulty of restraining soldiers detached for special service from
illegal requisitions on provincials never seems to have been overcome.
This edict is on a papyrus reported in 1911. |
ENGLISH TRANSLATION. |
| Marcus
Petronius Mamertinus, prefect of Egypt, proclaims : I have learned that many soldiers in their march through the country improperly make requisitions of boats, beasts of burden, and men without any written warrant, in some cases taking them by force, in others obtaining them from the governors through courting their favor. As a result, private citizens are insulted or cheated and the army is blamed for extortion and injustice. Accordingly, I issue instructions to the governors and the royal scribes to furnish absolutely nothing to anyone for his journey without a written warrant, whether he is traveling on the river or on foot, and he shall understand that I will punish severly anyone who, after this edict, is caught taking or giving any of the above-mentioned things. Year . . . of Lord Hadrian Caesar . . . |