A Roman Ransom Read Online Free PDF Page B

standing in the town.
    ‘Legally a citizen!’ I said. ‘So he won’t be subject to the harshest punishments. How extraordinary that he ran away.’ I am no expert on the civil law, but I knew that the accuser is required to bring his man to court, using his own guards and at his own expense. It often isn’t easy, but unless it’s done the case will fail. It’s most unusual to lock a wealthy prisoner up, unless it is a really serious affair or he is charged with some criminal offence against the state. Lallius seemed to have brought his incarceration on himself.
    ‘Excellence . . .’ Philades began again.
    Marcus waved him impatiently aside and addressed himself exclusively to me. ‘A stupid business really. It’s coming back to me now. Lallius is obviously very anxious not to come to court. Since his attempted escape he has tried every legal trick that he could find. It took hours to agree the formula for trial – you know that if there is irregularity in that, the case can be dismissed – and even now he hasn’t given up. I understand he’s hired an advocate to try to find a flaw in the proceedings, something technical which would get them nullified. It all takes time, and you know what lawyers charge – he must be running up enormous bills.’
    ‘It must be the punishment that frightens him,’ I said. Thinking pained and wearied me, but I did my best.
    Marcus looked surprised at that idea. ‘If he was not a citizen, perhaps that would be understandable. For the lower orders it can be crucifixion for violence and robbery on the public road – though even then the penalty is hardly used these days. But Lallius would be facing exile at most, even if he’d killed the man he robbed – and obviously he has not done that, since his victim is the one who brought the case.’
    ‘And who is this victim?’
    Marcus shrugged. ‘Not anyone of note. Someone called Cassius as I understand, and anyway he wasn’t badly hurt – just pushed roughly to the ground, and punched a bit. It’s possible the judge might call for
talio
, and rule for some physical revenge – but it’s more likely Lallius will be faced with restitution and a fine.’
    ‘And that might ruin him?’ This wasn’t making any sense to my poor addled brain. ‘You’d hardly think so, if the man can afford a legal advocate!’
    Marcus said thoughtfully, ‘You’re right, of course. It should not cause him any real distress. Fourfold damages, that’s what the law allows – and even that will not be very much. The sum concerned was not a great one, as I understand. A few hundred
denarii
, no more.’
    I thought privately this might depend on how you looked at it. ‘A few hundred
denarii
’ seemed an enormous sum to me. And it was clearly significant to the victim too, I thought, since he had taken the trouble to have Lallius arrested at his own expense and then confined to jail. Marcus was the richest man for miles – though he was famously careful with his cash.
    Aloud I said, ‘So there is no question of Lallius being sentenced to the mines, or being forced to sell himself to slavery to pay the fine?’
    ‘Unless some other charge emerges, I doubt it very much.’
    ‘Then, Excellence, does it not occur to you that this is very odd? The penalties for kidnapping are terribly severe – especially when the victim is someone like your wife – and those for attempting to corrupt a magistrate are sterner still. Surely it would make more sense for Lallius to simply face the charge, and pay whatever fine the court awards.’ I was getting animated as I spoke and tried to sit upright, but the doctor prevented me by coming to my side and handing me the cup he had prepared.
    There was no escape. I drank my herbal brew. It tasted horrible.
    Marcus had remained kneeling on the floor beside the bed till now, but it seemed my words had struck home and he leaped up all at once. ‘Odd? Of course it’s odd. It’s worse than odd. It’s unforgivable.