[787] Val. Max. ii. 2, 7.
[788] Cic. ad Fam. x. 12, 3.
[789] Liv. xxxvi. 40.
[790] Cic. ad Fam. viii. 8, 6 “qui impedierit prohibuerit, eum senatum existimare contra rem publicam fecisse.”
[791] Cic. de Prov. Con. 8, 17; pro Domo 9, 24. Intercession in jurisdiction and administration is sometimes forbidden in municipal laws: Lex Rubria i. 50; Lex Ursonensis c. 72 (Bruns Fontes).
[792] Varro ap. Gell. xiii. 13 “Qui potestatem neque vocationis populi viritim habent neque prensionis, eos magistratus a privato in jus quoque vocari est potestas.” The context shows that they were practically as exempt as the higher magistrates.
[793] Nothing is known of the early history of peculatus. The word itself, “the misappropriation of cattle,” which had been collected as fines, shows the antiquity of the offence described by Varro (L.L. v. 95) as peculatus publicus. For the early procedure see Mommsen Strafrecht p. 768.
[794] In Polybius’ time bribery was a capital offence at Rome (Polyb. vi 56).
[795] Polyb. vi. 14. The people are often judges of money penalties, when the offence can be valued in money, καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς τὰς ἐπιφανεῖς ἐσχηκότας ἀρχάς, θανάτου δὲ κρίνει μόνος. Cf. c. 15. The greatest source of the power of the people is that ἀποτιθεμένους τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐν τούτῳ δεῖ τὰς εὐθύνας ὑπέχειν τῶν πεπραγμένων.
[796] Liv. xxiv. 43 (214 B.C., the tribune Metellus prosecutes the censors Furius and Atilius) “Sed novem tribunorum auxilio vetiti causam in magistratu dicere dimissique fuerant”; Suet. Caes. 23 (Caesar on leaving for Gaul) “a L. Antistio, tr. pl., postulatus, appellato demum collegio, obtinuit, cum reipublicae causa abesset, reus ne fieret.” In the case of the trial of the censors of 169 B.C. (Liv. xliii 16) the accused agree to be put on their trial during their tenure of office.