Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 2 - Government, Society, and Culture in the Roman Empire

Emperors at Work 11

iscertainlynoroominthestoryfora‘‘bureau,’’headedbyafreedman,by
whichthedocumentswereproduced.
A considerable amount of an emperor’s time was taken up withlibelli
whichwenttohimwithrequestsforbeneficia(favours)orlegalguidance.The
essentialelementoftheprocedurewasfortheemperortowriteonthelibel-
lusasubscriptio(abriefanswertothequestion,literally‘‘writtenunder’’the
petition),inhisownhand.IhavenotedalreadythepassagesshowingIulius
CaesarandMarcusAureliusbusywiththisattheshows.
Itisquiteclearthatthesubscriptio(whichmeansnotasignaturebutastate-
mentorverdictappendedbysomeone)wastheworkoftheemperor’sown
hand: one may note a case, not alibellusthis time, related by Suetonius of
Nero,^62 ‘‘whenhewasaskedaccordingtocustomtosignthewarrantforthe
executionofamanwhohadbeencondemnedtodeath,hesaid:‘HowIwish
I had never learnt towrite!’’’ The story is told in greaterdetail by Seneca
addressingNerohimself,‘‘Burrus,yourprefect...,abouttoexecutetwo
robbers,pressedyoutowritetheirnamesandyourreasonsforwantingthem
executed.Thathadoftenbeenputoff,butheinsistedthatitshouldbedone.
Reluctantlyheheldoutthedocumentandhandedittoyouwhowerereluc-
tanttoo;andyouexclaimed:‘IwishIhadneverlearnthowtowrite!’’’^63 Or
onemightnotethatsubscriptionwaspartoftheworkoftheprefectsofthe
Aerarium,onPliny’sevidence,‘‘Igivejurisdiction,subscribepetitions,make
uptherecords’’;^64 similarlywiththepraetor—‘‘heshouldreturn[theletter]
tothepraetortosubscribeinhisownhandashewishes.’’^65 Butsuchparallels
areunnecessary,forwehavetherescriptofDiocletianandMaximiandating
to292,‘‘weordainthatourauthenticandoriginalrescriptsthemselves,sub-
scribedinourownhand,notcopiesofthem,beenteredontherecord.’’^66
ThenwehaveCommodus:‘‘[H]ewassolazyandcarelessinsubscribingthat
heansweredmanylibelliwiththesameformula.’’^67 TheHistoria Augustaalso
recordsthatCarinus‘‘hadsuchanaversionforsubscribing[libelli]thatheap-
pointedforsubscribingthemacertainfilthyfellow...whomhegenerally
reviled because he could imitate his handwriting sowell.’’^68 It is certainly
surprisingtofindemperorsansweringtheoftenfairlyinsignificantrequests
andenquiriesofcommunitiesorindividualsintheirownhand;butthesur-

62. Suet.,Nero10.


63. Sen.,de clem.2,1,2.


64. Pliny,Ep.1,10,9.
    65.Frag.Vat.163.
    66.CJ1,23,3.
    67.HA,Com.13,7.
    68.HA,Carus16,8.