14 The Imperial Government
alsobyTrajan’sletterstotheSenate,fortheyweresubscribed,notbyhim,
butbyPlotina,althoughshehadnotdonethisinanypreviousinstance.’’^84
Somuch,forthemoment,fortheroleoftheemperor.Ihavedeliberately
avoidedcertaincomplexitiesaboutcopiesoflettersorrescripts,theirtrans-
mission,publication,andsoforth.Ihavesimplygivensuchclearevidence
as there is about the part played by the emperor himself.The evidence is
scatteredbutitdoes,Ithink,sufficetoprovethatcommunications,likeindi-
viduals,couldanddidgetthepersonalattentionoftheemperor.Theques-
tionnowarises—whatdidthefreedmen,andlaterequestrian,‘‘secretaries’’
actuallydo?Weretheythereeithertotakeexecutivedecisions,toprepare
substantivedraftsforapprovalbytheemperor,ortogivetechnicaladvice,
forinstanceonlegalmattersintheGreekprovinces?Ifneitherofthese,why
weretheyimportantatall?
Heresomeprinciplesneedtobeestablished.Thefirstisthatwecannot
deduceaman’sfunctionfromhistitle.Thetitlewillindicatetheareaofbusi-
nesswithwhichthepostwas(orhadoriginallybeen)concerned;itwilltell
usnothingaboutwhatitsholderatanygivenmomentactuallydid.Secondly,
fromthefactthatsomeholdersofaparticularpostexercisedpowerandin-
fluenceitdoesnotfollowthattheirimportancearosefromtheexerciseof
the specific functions of the post.The evidence on Pallas,which is exten-
sive,containsonlyasingle,retrospective,referencetorationes(accounts).^85
Narcissuswasab epistulis;theevidenceshowshimurgingcondemnationsby
Claudius,gettingVespasianapostaslegionarylegate,addressingthemuti-
noustroopsoftheBritishexpedition,takingaleadingpartindealingwith
MessalinaandSiliusandinthedebateonClaudius’secondmarriage,attend-
ingClaudiusatthehearingofanembassy,supervisingthedrainingofalake,
andfinallybeingkilledbyAgrippinawhosemarriagetoNerohehadop-
posed.^86 Weshallcomeinamomenttotheonereferencewhichillustrates
hisformalfunctions.SimilarlywithCallistus,a libellisunderClaudius;again
with a single exception, the evidence illustrates not his functions but his
power: his support of Claudius and participation in the conspiracyagainst
Gaius,hisparticipationalsointheaffairofMessalinaandSiliusandinthede-
bateonClaudius’remarriage,hisroleinsavingDomitiusAfer,andotherwise
hiswealthandsocialprominence.^87
- Dio69,I,4.TheLoebtranslation‘‘signed’’willnotdo,becauseancientletterswere
notsignedinthissense. - SeeS.I.Oost,‘‘TheCareerofM.AntoniusPallas,’’AJPh79(1958):113.
- EvidenceinPIR^1 N18.
- EvidenceinPIR^2 I229.