| EDICT
OF HADRIAN ON A MORATORIUM OF PAYMENT OF TAXES ( AD 135-136 ) |
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( Johnson, Coleman-Norton & Bourne, Ancient Roman Statutes, Austin, 1961, p. 207, n. 249 ). |
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| Because
of a failure of the Nile flood, Hadrian grants a delay to those persons
whose taxes were paid in money, presumably to those who had vineyards,
olive groves, palm groves, or orchards. The tax on arable land was determined
by the height of the flood and no edict was necessary for this. The papyrus containing this edict was reported in 1920. |
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| LATIN TEXT ( RICCOBONO ) | ENGLISH TRANSLATION | |
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Imperator Caesar, diui Traiani Parthici filius, diui Neruae nepos, Traianus
Hadrianus Augustus, pontifex maximus, tribuniciae potestatis XX, imperator
II, consul II, pater patriae dicit : |
Emperor
Caesar Trajan Hadrian Augustus, son of the deified Trajan Parthicus,
grandson of the deified Nerva, pontifex maximus, holding the tribunician
power for the twentieth time, saluted imperator for the second time,
consul for the third time, father of the fatherland, proclaims : |
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| Cum
certior factus sim rursus Nili proluuiem non secus ac superiore anno
exiguam esse et imperfectam ( quamuis praecedentibus exinde annis
non modo perfectam proluuiem fecerit sed maiorem quam umquam fuisset,
et totum territorium inundans aptus uisus sit plurimis optimisque fructibus
afferendis ), statim intellegi agricolis beneficium quoddam tribuendum
esse, equidem praeuidens — cum deo dicatur — si
quid hodie defuerit insequentibus annis restituturos et Nilum et terram :
( nam talis est ? ) natura rerum, ut ex copia
quidem et fertilitate in inopiam, ex inopia uero in abundantiam procedatur. |
Since
I now learn that the Nile flood is somewhat below normal, as it was
last year, although in former years it was not only perfect, but was
higher than even before and, covering the whole land, was the cause
of most excellent and abundant harvests, I have decided that it is necessary
to offer some boon to the farmers, although I expect–be it said
in the narre of god-that in the years to come, if this year there is
any deficiency, the Nile again will cover the land and renew its fertility
. . . for it is the nature of things that plenty and abundance
are followed by poverty and that after poverty there follows abundance. |
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| Bona
igitur fortuna : |
With
Good Fortune. |
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| pecuniarium
huiusce anni tributum diuisum iri scitote, quod
ad Thebaidis habitatores attinet, quos maximum ex inopia damnum subituros
esse constat, in quinque annorum praestationibus, quod ad homines in
VII pagis degentibus in quattuor, quod ad inferioris regionis habitatores
in tribus ; ut facultas sit uolentibus et per semestria soluere,
manente Thebaidis hominibus quinquennii, VII pagorum quadriennii, inferioris
regionis triennii dilatione. |
Be informed that the farmers of
the Thebaid who have suffered the greatest loss shall be permitted to
pay their money tax on land in five annual instalments, those of the
Heptanomia in four, those of Lower Egypt in three ; and those who
wish can pay their yearly quota in semiannual instalments, although
the appointed time remains : five years for the Thebaid, four years
for the Heptanomia, three years for Lower Egypt. |
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| Datum
Alexandreae anno XXI, mense Payni XVI. |
Posted at Alexandria. Year 21,
Payni 16. |
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