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THEPUBLICORDERINREPUBLICANROME
wereusedtoprotectaRomancitizenagainstanyarbitrarinessofa
sentenceandimmediateexecutionofthedeathpenalty,andthere-
foretheywereconsideredaspartoftheessenceofacitizen)sfree-
dom.16Takingthisintoaccount,beforehearrivedataverdict,a
magistratewouldusuallyhaveattemptedtogaintheacceptance
ofsocietyandhaveintroducedthemattertotheRomanassembly,
whichexpressedtheirpointsofview.Inmattersoflifeanddeath,
thecomitiacenturiatawouldhavebeenappropriate,whileinless
seriouscasesthecomitiatributawoulddo.Plebeiantribunesand
plebeianaedileshadtherighttoaccusesomeonebeforetheforum
oftheconciliumplebis.Ithappenedinthecaseofseriouscrimes(ac-
cordingtoPolybius,1,itwasnecessaryiftherewasathreatofthe
deathpenalty)orsuchmatterswhichconcernedthewholecommu-
nityofthecitizens,orwhichawakenedtheirinterest.Althougha
magistratewasnotformallyboundbyanopinionexpressedbyhis
fellowcitizens,heobserveditasarule.Asaresult,thecoërcitioof
themagistrateswasbeingsystematicallylimitedduetothedevel-
opmentoftheRightsofRomancitizensprotectingthemagainst
thelawlessnessoftheauthorities.1;Romansoldiers,inhabitants
ofRomewithnocivilrights(peregrini),andslaveswerealwaysde-
privedofthisprotection;coërcitiowouldhavebeenusedtowards
theminwhatevercircumstancesandwithallseverity.19
Asaresultofthecommonuseofprovocatioandvetopowersbytri-
bunesoftheplebs,itbecamepracticallyimpossibletocondemna
Romancitizentodeathduetothecoërcitioprocedure,withnocon-
trolofthisdecisionbytheRomanassembly.Ontheotherhand,
fortheRomanassemblytotakegeneralcommandofthepenal
jurisdictionwashamperedbecauseofthetechnicalproblemsof
suchproceedings.20Tus,alreadyinthebeginningsofthesecond
centuryB.C.,thesenatebeganapplyinginterimsolutionsandap-
1,Polyb.6.14.4-8.
19Mommsen(1887-8)iii.1634-5;(1899)37,475,897-8;A.H.M.Jones(1972)20;Robin-
son(1981)214;(1995)17.
20Santalucia(1998)44-52,97-8.
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