Government and Diplomacy 207It would be to diverge too far from the purpose of this chapter to ask
howfarthemaintenance(onthepartofprovincialgovernorsaswellasof
theemperorhimself)ofasortofuniversalfictionoflocalsovereigntyand
entitlementonthepartofprovincialcitiestoconductdiplomatic-stylere-
lationsinthemannerofanindependentstatecontributedtothestabilityof
theEmpire,andtheacceptanceofit,oratleastabsenceofconsistentoppo-
sitiontoit,amongtherulingclassesoftheprovinces.Thediplomaticsystem
of the Empire, as sketched above, did, however, implicitly rememberand
recognisethefactthatthevastmajorityofthelocallyself-governingcities
and communities of the provinces had once been genuinely independent,
andhadcomewithintheorbitofRomanprovincialgovernmentandofthe
paymentoftributetoRome,inacomplexvarietyofways,fromallianceto
outrightconquest.
IntheRomanEmpire,therefore,eveninItalyitself(mostofwhosecities
were also not creations of Rome and had once been independent), diplo-
maticformsmoresuggestiveatfirstsightofforeignrelationswerecarefully
preserved. Moreover, it is highly significant that the structure of the im-
perialcourt,orentourage,wasclearlymarkedbytheneedtobeabletomake
thenecessaryrepliesinappropriateform.InthespeechwhichCassiusDio
in hisRoman Historyputs into the mouth of Maecenas, addressing Augus-
tus,heinterestinglysuggestsrestrictingembassiesfromprovincialcitiesto
mattersrequiringadecision(diagnōsis)fromtheemperor,thatis,todisputes
betweenatleasttwocities;otherrequestsshouldbesentonbythelocalpro-
vincialgovernor(52,30,9).Soingrainedwastheconceptionthatdisputes
between cityembassies ought to be heard by the emperor, that even Dio,
whose attitudes were strongly hierarchical, could not envisage the ending
ofthisimperialrole.Morepertinenthere,however,atalaterpointinthe
speechMaecenasisevenmadetoenvisageallthechieffunctionariesatthe
emperor’s side, other than the praetorian prefects, and officials concerned
withfinance,beingemployedtoanswer,invariousforms,theaddressesand
petitionsmadebybothcitiesandindividuals(52,33,5):‘‘Moreover,asregards
judicial hearings and letters, the decrees of the cities, and the petitions of
individuals,andwhateverelseisrelevanttothegovernmentoftheEmpire,
takeaidesandassistantsfromtheequestrianorder.’’
Awiderandmuch-disputedissueisbeingtouchedonhere,namelythe
extenttowhichtheimperialsystemwasprimarilypassive,directedtoasig-
nificant degree to answering requests or solving disputes emanating from
below.Itmaysufficetosayherethatthe(admittedlyunsatisfactory)evidence
doesindeedrevealimperialsecretarieswithfunctionsofthesortsuggested
byDiothrough‘‘Maecenas’’:menwithtitlessuchasacognitionibus(todowith