38 The Imperial Government
divineTrajanthereisanobligationonbothhimandhisheirtocompleteit.’’
Theimperialrescriptssenttoprovincialgovernorswereabsolutelytypical
oftheformofthecontributionmadebytheemperorstotheevolutionof
Romanlaw,inarisingfromindividualcasesbutasexpressinggeneralprin-
ciples.Thus,inspiteoftheirspecificorigins,theycouldbe,andoftenwere,
quotedbyjuristicwriters,andthuscamesubsequentlytobeembodiedinthe
DigestorInstitutesofJustinian.Butifwegobacktotheoriginalcontextsand
problemswhichgaverisetotheserescripts,weareimmediatelyinthesame
worldasthatinwhichPlinyfunctionedaslegatusofPontusandBithynia.
PlinyandTrajan
The correspondence between Pliny and Trajan has been discussed many
times,aboveallbySherwin-WhiteinhismajorCommentary,andmorere-
centlybyW.Williams.^50 Itthereforeneednotbetreatedindetailhere.In-
stead,Ihaveproducedachart(seetheappendix),whichsetsoutthepattern
ofthecorrespondenceintimeandplace.Firstly,asregardstime,Iamcon-
vinced by Sherwin-White’s argument that the third yearof Pliny’s gover-
norshipmustbe111:inreportingthevows(vota)ofthearmyandthepro-
vincialsinepist.100,PlinycouldsurelynothaveignoredTrajan’sassumption
ofhissixthconsulshipon1January112.^51 Secondly,thecorrespondencebe-
longsintheoneextendedperiodwhenweknowthatTrajanwasinRome.
Plinywasconstantlyonthemove,butTrajan(evenifheretiredfromtimeto
timetovillasinItaly)wascontinuouslyinRome.Thisisnotthereforeoneof
thoseinstances,whichmusthavebecomeincreasinglycommon,whenboth
emperorandgovernorpresentedmovingtargetsforwhoeverwascarrying
messages between them.Thirdly, all the exchanges in the correspondence
wereinitiatedbyPliny.HehadreceivedmandatafromTrajan,whichrelated
amongotherthingstomilitarydiscipline,andtotherights—orabsenceof
rights—of association on the part of the provincials: the latter clause had
been embodied in the edict (edictum) which Pliny issued, and in response
towhichChristiangroupshaddisbanded.^52 Butnofurtherinstructionsor
- W.Williams,Pliny the Younger, Correspondence with Trajan from Bithynia (Epistles X)
(Warminster,1990). - Sherwin-White(n.19),81.
- Pliny’smandata:epist.10,22,1(dispositionofsoldiers);30,1(levyingofrecruits);56,
3(non-restitutionofthoseexiledbyrelegatio);96,7(‘‘sincethepromulgationofmyown
edictum,inwhich,followingyouredicta,Iforbadetheformingofassociations[hetaeriae]’’);
110–11(preventionofdonationsfromcityfunds).