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

56 The Imperial Government

ApartfromcaseslikethatofLuciliusCapito,wherelegalprocesseswere
obviatedbythesimpleuseofforce,theFiscusgainedinthecourseofthe
firsttwocenturiesanumberofrecognizedprivileges(areflectionnotonly
oftheincreasingpre-eminenceoftheemperorbutalsooftheimportance
attachedtoensuringfiscalrevenues).Themostimportantprivilegewasthat
ofprōtopraxia,whichappearsinEgyptiandocumentsastherighttoproceed
againstthirdpartieswhohadacquiredpropertyfromdebtorstotheFiscus
andinlegalsourcesasanextended‘‘rightofseizureofpropertybelonging
to a debtor’’ (ius pignoris).^67 Similarly, the Fiscus had the right to satisfy its
own claims before those of other creditors were met.^68 Of the numerous
otherprivilegesattested,^69 afew,ofdifferenttypes,canbegivenforillustra-
tion. Manumissions madewith the purpose of defrauding the Fiscus were
annulled.^70 TheFiscustookinterestduefromcontractsbutdidnotpayit;^71
the interest it received was at a standard rate (6 percent perannum), and
whereitsucceededtoacreditortowhomalowerratewasbeingpaid,the
ratewasraised.^72 IfaprocuratorofCaesarhadpromiseddoubleortripleresti-
tutioninthecaseofrecoverybyvirtueofasuperiortitle(pro evictione),he
couldnonethelessbeheldliableonlyforsimplerestitution.^73 Therightof
seizureofpropertybelongingtoadebtorarisingfromasaleofpropertyto
someoneundertwenty-fivewasautomaticallyavailabletotheFiscus—but
toprivatepersonsonlybytheprinceps’concession(beneficium principis).^74
Whiletheseandotherprivilegeswereestablishedtoprotecttheinterests
of the Fiscus, some regulations were made to prevent abuses and guaran-
teetherightsofprivatepersons.Someoftheseamountedtonomorethan
anassurance(whichcouldnotbetakenforgranted)thatnormallegalrules

67. SeeP. Strasb.56(II/IIIa.d.),TextA,2,l.10‘‘...[therightof]prōtopraxiaispreserved
    forthefiscus,thecity’streasury[poleitikos logos],andothers’’;cf.P. Stras.34(Antinoopolis,
    a.d.180–192), l. 25;BGU1573 (Arsinoite nome, 141/2), l. 15;PSIXII, 1237,rectol. 6
    (a.d.162).AlsoP. Lips.1,9,l.34,asgiveninPreisigke,Wörterbuch,s.v.φίσκος.Thelegal
    characterofprōtopraxiaandtheFiscus’rights‘‘velutiuspignoris’’or‘‘pignorisvice’’aredis-
    cussedbyF.Wieacker,‘‘Protopraxieund‘iuspignoris’imklassischenFiskalrecht,’’Festschrift
    P. KoschakerI(Weimar,1939),218.


68. Paulus,Sent.5,12,10.


69. SeetherathermuddledlistinBolla(n.1),78–79.


70. E.g.,Dig.40,9,16,3;40,1,10;Frag. de iure fisci2,9.
    71.Dig.22,1,17,5.
    72.Dig.22,1,17,6;49,14,6.
    73.Dig.49,14,5.
    74.Dig.27,9,2.Thispassageraisesfurtherlegalproblemswhicharenotrelevanttothe
    presentargument.