De praevaricatione
(Concerning prevarication.)
1 Ulpianus libro sexto ad edictum praetoris. Praevaricator est quasi varicator, qui diversam partem adiuvat prodita causa sua. quod nomen Labeo a varia certatione tractum ait: nam qui praevaricatur, ex utraque parte constitit, quin immo ex altera. 1Is autem praevaricator proprie dicitur, qui publico iudicio accusaverit: ceterum advocatus non proprie praevaricator dicitur. quid ergo de eo fiet? sive privato iudicio sive publico praevaricatus sit, hoc est prodiderit causam, hic extra ordinem solet puniri.
1 Ulpianus, On the Edict of the Prætor, Book VI. A prevaricator is a person who takes both sides, and assists the adverse party by the betrayal of his own case. This term, Labeo says, is derived from a varying contest, for he acts in this manner who, apparently being on one side, actually favors the other. 1A prevaricator, properly so called, is one who appears as accuser in a criminal prosecution. An advocate, however, is not correctly said to be a prevaricator. What then should be done with him if he should be guilty of this offence, in either a private or a public proceeding, that is to say, if he has betrayed his own side? It is usual for him to be punished arbitrarily.
2 Ulpianus libro nono de officio proconsulis. Sciendum, quod hodie is, qui praevaricati sunt, poena iniungitur extraordinaria.
2 Ulpianus, On the Duties of Proconsul, Book IX. It should be remembered that, at present, those who are guilty of this offence are punished with an arbitrary penalty.
3 Macer libro primo publicorum iudiciorum. Praevaricationis iudicium aliud publicum, aliud moribus inductum est. 1Nam si reus accusatori publico iudicio ideo praescribat, quod dicat se eodem crimine ab alio accusatum et absolutum, cavetur lege Iulia publicorum, ut non prius accusetur, quam de prioris accusatoris praevaricatione constiterit et pronuntiatum fuerit. huius ergo praevaricationis pronuntiatio publici iudicii intellegitur. 2Quod si advocato praevaricationis crimen intendatur, publicum iudicium non est: nec interest, publico an privato iudicio praevaricatus dicatur. 3Si ideo quis accusetur, quod dicatur crimen iudicii publici destituisse, iudicium publicum non est, quia neque lege aliqua de hac re cautum est, neque per senatus consultum, quo poena quinque auri librarum in desistentem statuitur, publica accusatio inducta est.
3 Macer, Public Prosecutions, Book I. The judgment for prevarication is either public or introduced by custom. 1If the defendant opposes the prosecutor in a criminal case, alleging that he already has been accused of the same crime by another and acquitted, it is provided by the Julian Law relating to public prosecutions that he cannot be prosecuted until the crime charged by the first accuser and the judgment rendered with reference to it have been investigated. Therefore, the decision of cases of this kind is understood to belong to the category of public prosecutions. 2Where the crime of prevarication is said to have been committed by an advocate, a public prosecution cannot be instituted; and it makes no difference whether he is said to have committed it in a public or a private proceeding. 3Therefore if anyone is accused of having abandoned a public prosecution, the case will not be public, because no provision was made for this by any law; and a public accusation is not authorized by that decree of the Senate which prescribes the penalty of five pounds of gold against anyone who abandons a case.
4 Idem libro secundo publicorum iudiciorum. Si is, de cuius calumnia agi prohibetur, praevaricator in causa iudicii publici pronuntiatus sit, infamis erit.
4 The Same, Public Prosecutions, Book II. If a person against whom an action for slander cannot be brought is convicted of being a prevaricator in a criminal case, he will become infamous.
5 Venuleius Saturninus libro secundo publicorum iudiciorum. Accusator in praevaricatione convictus postea ex lege non accusat.
5 Venuleius Saturninus, Public Prosecutions, Book II. An accuser convicted of prevarication cannot afterwards bring an accusation under the law.
6 Paulus libro singulari de iudicis publicis. Aab imperatore nostro et patre eius rescriptum est, ut in criminibus, quae extra ordinem obiciuntur, praevaricatores eadem poena adficiantur, qua tenerentur, si ipsi in legem commississent, qua reus per praevaricationem absolutus est.
6 Paulus, On Public Prosecutions. It was stated in a Rescript by our Emperor and his Father that, in the case of crimes which are opposed as being extraordinary, prevaricators shall be punished with the same penalty to which they would have been liable, if they themselves had violated the law by which the defendant was acquitted through their treacherous instrumentality.
7 Ulpianus libro quarto de censibus. In omnibus causis, praeterquam in sanguine, qui delatorem corrupit, ex senatus consulto pro victo habetur.
7 Ulpianus, On Taxes, Book IV. In all cases except those in which the shedding of blood is involved, anyone who corrupts the informer is considered as convicted, according to the Decree of the Senate.