DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13855#0231
LEGATUS.
223
LEGATUS.
man generals into the field, or the proconsuls
and praetors into the provinces. 1. Foreign
legati at Rome, from whatever country they j
came, had to go to the temple of Saturn, and I
deposit their names with the quaestors. Pre-
vious to their admission into the city, foreign
ambassadors seem to have been obliged to
give notice from what nation they came and
for what purpose ; for several instances are
mentioned, in which ambassadors were pro-
hibited from entering the city, especially in
case of a war between Rome and the state
from which they came. In such cases the
ambassadors were either not heard at all,
and obliged to quit Itaty, or an audience was
given to them by the senate (scnatus legatis
datur) outside the city, in the temple of Bel-
lona. This was evidently a sign of mistrust,
but the ambassadors were nevertheless treated
as public guests, and some public villa out-
side the city was sometimes assigned for their
reception. In other cases, however, as soon
as the report of the landing of foreign am-
bassadors on the coast of Italy was brought
to Rome, especially if they were persons of
great distinction, or if they came from an
ally of the Roman people, some one of the
inferior magistrates, or a legatus of a consul,
was despatched by the senate to receive, and
conduct them to the city at the expense of
the republic. When they were introduced
into the senate by the praetor or consul, they
first explained what they had' to communi-
cate, and then the praetor invited the sena-
tors to put their questions to the ambassadors.
The whole transaction was carried on by
interpreters, and in the Latin language.
[Interpres.] After the ambassadors had
thus been examined, they were requested to
leave the assembly of the senate, who now
began to discuss the subject brought before
them. The result was communicated to the
ambassadors by the praetor. In some cases
ambassadors not only received rich presents
on their departure, but were at the command
of the senate conducted by a magistrate, and
at the public expense, to the frontier of Italy,
and even farther. By the Lex Gabinia it
was decreed, that from the 1st of February
to the 1st of March, the senate should every
day give audience to foreign ambassadors.
There was a place on the right-hand side of
the senate-house, called Graecostasis, in
which foreign ambassadors waited. All am-
bassadors, whencesoever they came, were
considered by the Romans throughout the
whole period of their existence as sacred and
inviolable. 2. Legati to foreign nations in
the name of the Roman republic were always
sent by the senate ; and to be appointed to
such a mission was considered a great honour,
which was conferred only on men of high
rank or eminence : for a Roman ambassador
had the powers of a magistrate and the vene-
rable character of a priest. If a Roman
during the performance of his mission a*
ambassador died or was killed, his memory
was honoured by the republic with a public
sepulchre and a statue in the Rostra. The
expenses during the journey of an ambassador
were, of course, paid by the republic ; and
when he travelled through a province, the
provincials had to supply him with every
thing he wanted. 3. The third class of
legati, to whom the name of ambassadors
cannot be applied, were persons who accom-
panied the Roman generals on their expe-
ditions, and in later times the governors of
provinces also. They are mentioned at a very
early period as serving along with the tri-
bunes, under the consuls. They were nomi-
nated (Icyabantur) by the consul or the dic-
tator under whom they served, but the
sanction of the senate was an essential point,
without which no one could be legally con-
sidered a legatus. The persons appointed to
this office were usually men of great military
talents, and it was their duty to advise and
assist their superior in all his undertakings,
and to act in his stead both in civil and mili-
tary affairs. The legati were thus always
men in whom the consul placed great confi-
dence, and were frequently his friends or
relations : but they had no power independent
of the command of their general. Their
number varied according to the greatness or
importance of the war, or the extent of the
province: three is the smallest number that
we know of, but Pompey, when in Asia, had
fifteen legati. Whenever the consuls were
absent from the army, or when a proconsul
left his province, the legati or one of them
took his place, and then had the insignia as
well as the power of his superior. He was in
this case called legatus pro praetore, and
hence we sometimes read that a man governed
a province as legatus without any mention
being made of the proconsul whose vicegerent
he was. During the latter period of the re-
public, it sometimes happened that a consul
carried on a war, or a proconsul governed
his province, through his legati, while he
himself remained at Rome, or conducted some
other more urgent affairs. When the pro-
vinces were divided at the time of the empire
[Provixcia], those of the Roman people were
governed by men who had been either con-
suls or praetors, and the former were always
accompanied by three legati, the latter by
one. The provinces of the emperor, who
was himself the proconsul, were governed by
persons whom the emperor himself appointed,
223
LEGATUS.
man generals into the field, or the proconsuls
and praetors into the provinces. 1. Foreign
legati at Rome, from whatever country they j
came, had to go to the temple of Saturn, and I
deposit their names with the quaestors. Pre-
vious to their admission into the city, foreign
ambassadors seem to have been obliged to
give notice from what nation they came and
for what purpose ; for several instances are
mentioned, in which ambassadors were pro-
hibited from entering the city, especially in
case of a war between Rome and the state
from which they came. In such cases the
ambassadors were either not heard at all,
and obliged to quit Itaty, or an audience was
given to them by the senate (scnatus legatis
datur) outside the city, in the temple of Bel-
lona. This was evidently a sign of mistrust,
but the ambassadors were nevertheless treated
as public guests, and some public villa out-
side the city was sometimes assigned for their
reception. In other cases, however, as soon
as the report of the landing of foreign am-
bassadors on the coast of Italy was brought
to Rome, especially if they were persons of
great distinction, or if they came from an
ally of the Roman people, some one of the
inferior magistrates, or a legatus of a consul,
was despatched by the senate to receive, and
conduct them to the city at the expense of
the republic. When they were introduced
into the senate by the praetor or consul, they
first explained what they had' to communi-
cate, and then the praetor invited the sena-
tors to put their questions to the ambassadors.
The whole transaction was carried on by
interpreters, and in the Latin language.
[Interpres.] After the ambassadors had
thus been examined, they were requested to
leave the assembly of the senate, who now
began to discuss the subject brought before
them. The result was communicated to the
ambassadors by the praetor. In some cases
ambassadors not only received rich presents
on their departure, but were at the command
of the senate conducted by a magistrate, and
at the public expense, to the frontier of Italy,
and even farther. By the Lex Gabinia it
was decreed, that from the 1st of February
to the 1st of March, the senate should every
day give audience to foreign ambassadors.
There was a place on the right-hand side of
the senate-house, called Graecostasis, in
which foreign ambassadors waited. All am-
bassadors, whencesoever they came, were
considered by the Romans throughout the
whole period of their existence as sacred and
inviolable. 2. Legati to foreign nations in
the name of the Roman republic were always
sent by the senate ; and to be appointed to
such a mission was considered a great honour,
which was conferred only on men of high
rank or eminence : for a Roman ambassador
had the powers of a magistrate and the vene-
rable character of a priest. If a Roman
during the performance of his mission a*
ambassador died or was killed, his memory
was honoured by the republic with a public
sepulchre and a statue in the Rostra. The
expenses during the journey of an ambassador
were, of course, paid by the republic ; and
when he travelled through a province, the
provincials had to supply him with every
thing he wanted. 3. The third class of
legati, to whom the name of ambassadors
cannot be applied, were persons who accom-
panied the Roman generals on their expe-
ditions, and in later times the governors of
provinces also. They are mentioned at a very
early period as serving along with the tri-
bunes, under the consuls. They were nomi-
nated (Icyabantur) by the consul or the dic-
tator under whom they served, but the
sanction of the senate was an essential point,
without which no one could be legally con-
sidered a legatus. The persons appointed to
this office were usually men of great military
talents, and it was their duty to advise and
assist their superior in all his undertakings,
and to act in his stead both in civil and mili-
tary affairs. The legati were thus always
men in whom the consul placed great confi-
dence, and were frequently his friends or
relations : but they had no power independent
of the command of their general. Their
number varied according to the greatness or
importance of the war, or the extent of the
province: three is the smallest number that
we know of, but Pompey, when in Asia, had
fifteen legati. Whenever the consuls were
absent from the army, or when a proconsul
left his province, the legati or one of them
took his place, and then had the insignia as
well as the power of his superior. He was in
this case called legatus pro praetore, and
hence we sometimes read that a man governed
a province as legatus without any mention
being made of the proconsul whose vicegerent
he was. During the latter period of the re-
public, it sometimes happened that a consul
carried on a war, or a proconsul governed
his province, through his legati, while he
himself remained at Rome, or conducted some
other more urgent affairs. When the pro-
vinces were divided at the time of the empire
[Provixcia], those of the Roman people were
governed by men who had been either con-
suls or praetors, and the former were always
accompanied by three legati, the latter by
one. The provinces of the emperor, who
was himself the proconsul, were governed by
persons whom the emperor himself appointed,