The Emperor, the Senate, and the Provinces toexiles,andthemakingofgiftsoutofcityfunds.^15 Oneprovisionatleast
ofthemandata,thatforbiddingtheformationofassociations(hetairiae),was
incorporatedintheedictissuedbyPlinyonhisarrivalintheprovince.^16
AcenturylaterthanPliny’sgovernorshipof Bithynia,bothCassiusDio
andthelawyersclearlyattestthatimperialmandatawereissuedtoalltypes
ofprovincialofficial,procurators,legates,andproconsuls.^17 Theextensionof
mandatatoproconsulsseemsinfacttohavebegunmuchearlier,forAntoni-
nusPius,whenproconsulofAsiain/,issuedanedictbasedonmandata,
whichmustpresumablyhavebeenthoseoftheEmperor.^18 Ifthesewerein-
deedthemandataof Hadrian,onemightwonderwhetheritwasnotinthe
mandatathat Hadrian made the first explicit affirmation of the legal privi-
leges ofdecuriones(city councillors)^19 —or indeed whether themandatain
whichTrajanreleasedsoldiersfromthenormalrulesgoverningthevalidity
of wills^20 were not also addressed to all provincial governors. [It has since
beenshownbyG.P.Burton,ZPE():,thattheissuingofmandata
toproconsulsinfacttookplacefromthebeginning.]
CorrespondencebetweenLegatesandtheEmperor
There is ample evidence of legates writing letters to the Emperorand re-
ceivinglettersfromhim.Itisonlynecessarytoquoteafewinstancesbyway
of example. Augustus relieved a consular legate of his post on grounds of
illiteracywhenhesawthathehadwritten‘‘ixi’’insteadof‘‘ipsi’’;^21 Philode-
tailsthecorrespondencebetweenPetronius,legateofSyria,andGaiusover
theplacingofthestatueofGaiusintheTemple.^22 SimilarlywehaveMar-
sus,legateofSyria,writingtoClaudiusaboutAgrippaI’srebuildingofthe
wallsofJerusalem,^23 orlegatesofGallicprovinceswritingtoAugustusand
. Pliny,Epp.,,,,–.SeeL.Vidman,Étude sur la correspondance de Pline le
Jeune avec Trajan(),–,andA.N.Sherwin-White,JRS():–.
. Pliny,Epp.,,.
. Dio,,;Dig.,,,;,,pr.;,,;,,,–.
.Dig.,,,,‘‘Thereisindeedextantachapterofthemandatawhichthedeified
PiusissuedunderhisedictwhenhewasgovernoroftheprovinceofAsia.’’
.Dig. , , , ‘‘The deified Hadrian forbade the capital punishment of any who
wereclassedasdecurions...andindeeditisveryfullyprovidedinthemandatathatthey
aretobepunishedwiththepenaltyoftheLexCornelia.’’
.Dig.,,pr.
. Suet.,Div.Aug..
. Philo,Legatio,,–,–.
. Jos.,Ant.Jud.,–.