3 innisa, B. and Ald.
immissa, Avant.

We have celebrated the day, sire, on which, by accepting, you preserved the empire, with all due joy, praying the gods to preserve you to the human race in that health and prosperity on which its safety and protection depends. We have also administered the oath of fidelity to the soldiers, while the provincials repeated it with the same zeal and loyalty.

The

diem quo servasti imperium. 'dies imperii' was the day on which the imperium or proconsular power was conferred on the new prince either by the senate or the army. The tribunicial power might be conferred either before this in the lifetime of the previous prince, as in the case of Tiberius (Momms. Staatsr. ii p. 775) and Trajan (Plin. Panegyr. § 8), or it might be conferred after it. Thus Nero's dies imperii was October 13, 54 (Momms. Staatsr. ii p. 774): but he did not receive the tribun. pot. till December 4. So the dies imperii for Vitellius is April 19, 69; Henzen, Arvalacten, p. 63, ob diem imperii quod xiiii K. Mai statutum est'; but he received the tribun. pot. on April 30. Vespasian's dies imperii was July 1, 69; Suet. Vesp. 6, 'Tiberius Alexander, praefectus Aegypti primus in verba Vespasiani legiones adegit Kal. Iul. qui principatus dies in posterum observatus est,' and Tac. Hist. ii 79; but he received the tribunicial power only after the death of Vitellius on December 20; Suet. Vesp. 12, Ac ne tribuniciam quidem potestatem et patris patriae appellationem nisi sero recepit.' This conferment of the imperium, the real essence of the principate, might take place, as in the republican days, either from the senate or from the army greeting their victorious general as imperator; cf. Tac. Ann. iii 74, 'Sed Tiberius... id quoque Blaeso tribuit, ut imperator a legionibus salutaretur;

Praeivimus et commilitonibus

4 praeivimus, B. and Ald. praebuimus, Avant.

prisco erga duces honore, qui, bene gesta republica, gaudio et impetu victoris exercitus conclamabantur: erantque plures simul imperatores, nec super ceterorum aequalitatem: concessit Augustus id vocabulum quibusdam, et tunc Tiberius Blaeso postremum'; Plin. Panegyr. 12, ' Vident enim Romanum ducem unum ex illis veteribus et priscis, quibus imperatorium nomen addebant contecti caedibus campi et infecta victoriis maria,' and Cic. Phil. xiv 4, 11, 'Sed hoc primum faciam, ut imperatores appellem eos, quorum virtute, consilio, felicitate maximis periculis servitutis atque interitus liberati sumus." Constitutionally the imperium was equally valid from whichever source it came, and the dies imperii dated from the first conferment whether by the senate or the army. Caligula was proclaimed by the senate (Henzen, Arvalacten, p. 63, with reference to March 18, 58), 'quod hoc die a senatu imperator appellatus est.' Claudius was proclaimed by the soldiers, Suet. Claud. 10; so was Nero, Tac. Ann. 12, 69, 'illatus castris Nero... imperator consalutatur; sententiam militum secuta patrum consilia.' The case of Vitellius was exceptional. He was proclaimed by the legions of lower Germany in January 69, but he reckoned his dies imperii to be that on which the senate recognised him, Henzen, Arvalacten, and Tac. Hist. ii 55, where the Ceriales ludi, April 12-19, confirm the date. Vespasian was proclaimed by the army on July 1 (see above), but was not recognised by the senate till December. But though constitutionally it made no difference whether the proclamation came first from the senate or the army, yet the former course was considered the most suitable, and we even find Hadrian apologising to the senate, 'quod de imperio suo iudicium senatui non dedisset,

I eadem provincialibus certante (certatim, Ber.) pietate iurantibus, Avant.

salutatus scilicet praepropere a militibus imperator,' Spart. c. 6. Trajan's dies imperii was January 27, the day of Nerva's death, and the conferment of the imperium came from the senate and was conveyed to Trajan by Hadrian, Spart. Hadr. c. 2. We sometimes find that the anniversary of the tribun. power and the dies imperii coincide. Probably in the first century the law granting the tribun. pot. was made retrospective, so as to date from the dies imperii. On the calculation of Trajan's tribun. pot. see life of Trajan, p. 16.

6

quanta mereris laetitia celebravimus. Cf. Livy, xxv 32, Scipio cum quibus ante dictum est copiis.'

generi humano. See on Ep. 1. incolumem florentemque. Cf. Ep. I, 'fortem te ac hilarem . . . opto.'

praeivimus et commilitonibus iusiurandum. Both in the imperial and senatorial provinces all the troops took the sacramentum to the emperor alone, except in so far as the whole imperial house was included; Tac. Ann. xiv 7, praetorianos toti Caesarum domui obstrictos'; and Suet. Calig. 15, 'de sororibus auctor fuit ut omnibus sacramentis adiceretur - neque me liberosque meos cariores habebo quam Caium habeo et sorores eius.' It was probably the old military oath of which Polybius, vi 21, 2, gives the formula, ' ἢ μὴν πειθαρχήσειν καὶ πονήσειν τὸ προστασσόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχόντων κατὰ δύναμιν, though Augustus may have slightly altered it to suit its new meaning; Dio Cass. 57, 3, ‘TOîs ὅρκοις τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Αὐγούστου καταδειχ Deîoi.' Veget. 2, 5, 'iurant autem milites

praestantibus et provincialibus, qui

eadem certarunt pietate, iurantibus, Ald.

omnia se strenue facturos quae praeceperit imperator, nunquam deserturos nec mortem recusaturos pro Romana republica.' It was taken by all the soldiers on the emperor's accession, Ioseph. Antiq. 19, 4, 2; Tac. Ann. 14, 11; Hist. i 53; Suet. Claud. 10, 'armatos pro concione iurare in nomen suum passus est'; Galb. II, 'cunctis in verba sua iurasse cognovit'; Otho, 8, 'Germaniciani exercitus in Vitellii verba iurarant'; Vitell. 15; Vesp. 6, etc. This oath was repeated on the anniversary of the dies imperii; cf. Ep. 102 and 103, and on the Ist of January every year, 'solemni Kalendarum Ianuarium sacramento,' Tac. Hist. i 55 ; Suet. Galb. 16, 'ergo primi obsequium rupere, ac se Kalendis Ianuarii adigi sacramento, nisi in nomen senatus, recusarunt,' and cf. Tac. Ann. i 8, 'addebat Messala Valerius renovandum per annos sacramentum in nomen Tiberii.'

eadem provincialibus certatim pietate iurantibus. The provincial and the civil population generally took the oath voluntarily; cf. Tac. Ann. i 7, 'At Romae ruere in servitium consules, patres, eques; consules primi in verba Tiberii Caesaris iuravere: ... mox senatus milesque et populus': though two passages seem to imply that provincial governors administered the oath to their provincials on the accession of a new emperor; Tac. Ann. i 31, 'Germanicus

Belgarum civitates in verba eius adigit,' and Ioseph. Antiq. 18, 5, 3. Cf. the 'ius iurandum Aritiensium,' C. I. L. ii 172. For 'praeivimus ius iurandum' cf. Tac. Hist. i 36, 'praeire sacramentum ii 74, 'praeeuntem sacramentum.'

I gladly learn from your letter, my dear Pliny, of the zeal and affection with which soldiers and provincials have taken

the oath of allegiance on the anniversary of my accession.

5 duodenis assibus, Avant and Ald. usuris assibus, Gronovius.

§ 1. The money owing to the towns, sire, has either been called in, or is in the act of being so. I am only afraid lest it should remain uninvested. There are few opportunities of purchasing land, nor are borrowers of the public funds to be found, at 12 per cent, the private rate of interest. § 2. Would it not be well to lower the rate of interest, and so attract suitable borrowers, or if that course also fails, to compel the decuriones to borrow the money in equal shares, upon their giving proper security? Even if they have to borrow against their will, this will be less of a hardship if the rate of interest is lowered.

publicae pecuniae, etc. Cf. Ep. 17, 'multae enim pecuniae variis ex causis a privatis detinentur,' and Ep. 23, ' erit enim pecunia ex qua fiat primum ea quam revocare a privatis et exigere iam coepi.' tua providentia. Cf. supra, Ep. 43, 2, 'memor propositi tui.'

otiosae. Cf. the phrase 'pecuniam occupare,' Cic. pro Flacc. 21, 51; id. Verr. 2, 1; 36, 91. Cf. Quint. Declam. 345, 'pecuniam dedi et ex otiosa iacente patrimonii parte aliquid numeravi.'

nam et praediorum conparandorum aut nulla, etc. There was one good opportunity in Trajan's reign. Cf. Plin. Ep. vi 19, 6, 'hoc vendendi tempus (i.e. in Italy) tam Hercule quam in provinciis comparandi, dum idem candidati illic vendunt, ut hic emant.'

praesertim duodenis assibus. These words present considerable difficulty, because from the time of Sulla onward, interest was reckoned by the month and not by the year. Marquadt

mutuantur, B. and Ald. muniantur, Avant.

can only quote a single unmistakable instance of the latter. Henz. 7215, 'usuras totius anni computatas octono pernumerabo,' i.e. 12 per cent. At the end of the republican period the normal rate of interest owing to the rapid acquisition of large capitals was as low as 4 per cent, though it suddenly rose to 8 per cent. Cic. ad Att. iv 15, 7, 'fenus ex triente Idib. Quint. factum erat bessibus.' In the provinces it was often considerably more. Verres extorted 24 per cent in Sicily; Brutus 48 per cent in Cyprus; and Cicero in his edict for Cilicia made 12 per cent the maximum rate. This from the time of the early empire seems to have been the normal rate, although Persius v 150, speaks of II per cent as avidos deunces. Twelve per cent was 'centesimae usurae,' or centesima pars sortis,' and this is no doubt the interest about which Pliny is speaking here. 'Duodenis assibus,' however, can only mean 12 per cent, if the interest of the whole year is calculated. Whether this was ever done, and whether 'asses usurae' may not mean I per cent, instead of being regarded as equivalent to centesimae usurae, appears uncertain. Salmasius and Gronovius at any rate do not take this view, and read here 'usuris assibus.' Much more satisfactory, if any alteration must be made, seems to be J. A. Ernesti's omission of the two words altogether. Right or wrong, the words seem hardly wanted, as if 12 per cent was the normal rate, it was hardly necessary for Pliny to mention it. See Marquadt, Staatsverw. xi pp. 60, 61.