Writings

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ROMAN SLAVERY IN THE EARLY CENTURIES OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA. Various definitions are given by the Roman and other writers of the word servus. Scaliger derives it from ser- vando, because the slave preserves or guards the property of his master. Slaves are denominated servi, says the Code of Justinian, from the verb servare, to preserve; for it is the practice of our generals to sell their captives; being accustomed to preserve and not to destroy them. Slaves are also called Mancipia, a manu capere, in that they are taken by the hand of the enemy. Just. Lib. I. Tit. 3. The origin of the word servus, says Augustine, De Civit. Lib. XIX. Cap. 15, is understood to be derived from the fact, that prisoners, who by the laws of war might have been put to death, were preserved by the victors, and made slaves. Servus est nomen, says Seneca, ex injuria natum. t Servi, servitia, and mancipia are frequently used as convertible terms. The term for a slave born and bred in the family was verna. This Essay was published in the Biblical Repository for October, 1835, and was subsequently republished in Great Britain. t Aristotle's definition of a slave was applicable to Italy, Polit. I. 6: KTTJp.a al Spyavov Tov Setnrfoov In respect to the comparative number of the slaves and the free citizens of Rome, we have not sufficient data on which to found a correct judgment. We may agree with Niebuhr in doubting the accuracy of the older censuses, which were taken at Rome. The Romans, in the early periods of their history, rarely or never acted as menial servants in the city. Niebuhr thinks that mechanical occupations were not lawful for plebeians. Yet in the country they willingly performed agricultural labor. Lipsius admits the probability of there being as many slaves as freemen, or r...