In the year 93, Baebius Massa—who had been the Roman governor of Baetica (approximately Spanish Andalusia)—faced prosecution for crimes against the inhabitants of his province. Herennius Senecio and Pliny the Younger were in charge of trying Massa, and it was a personal case for Senecio, as he had been born in Baetica. Senecio and Pliny worked closely with representatives and plaintiffs from the victimized province, garnering trust and respect between the populace and the lawyers.
Herennius Senecio and Pliny the Younger carried out a thorough, swift, and successful prosecution against Baebius Massa. The disgraced governor was found guilty of his crimes and was sentenced to having his property seized by the state. After this initial success, Senecio—the Baetica native—felt invested in the case and decided to stay involved as the proceedings transitioned to restitution discussions and appeals. Senecio’s friend and colleague, Pliny, also decided to stay on to see the case through to the end. Pliny later described the events in a letter to the famous historian, Tacitus (c. c. 56/57-117+), writing:
“The Senate had instructed me to act with Herennius Senecio as counsel for the province of Baetica against Baebius Massa, and after Massa’s conviction had passed the resolution that his property should be kept in official custody. Senecio then discovered that the consuls would be willing to hear Massa’s claims for restitution, so sought me out and proposed that we should continue to act in unity as we had done in carrying out the prosecution entrusted to us: we should approach the consuls and ask them not to allow the dispersal of the property they were responsible for holding in custody” (Pliny the Younger, Letters, 7.33).
Unfortunately for the lawyers, Baebius Massa’s restitution hearing was much more chaotic than they could have imagined. Dialogue became increasingly heated during the court proceedings, ultimately resulting in Baebius Massa publicly accusing Herennius Senecio of treason in front of the consuls and other officials present at the hearing. Pliny described the scene in his aforementioned letter, stating, “We went to the consuls. Senecio said what was necessary and I added a few words. We had scarcely finished speaking when Massa complained that Senecio had displayed the animosity of a personal enemy rather than a professional counsel’s honor, and demanded leave to prosecute him for treason” (Letters, 7.33). At that moment, the hearing devolved into chaos and confusion—it was the age of the Roman emperors, after all, and allegations of treason had deadly consequences. Nevertheless, Pliny took the opportunity to swoop in, and he used eloquence and a joke to steer the hearing back on track to a favorable conclusion.
Tragically, despite the prosecution’s victory in the court case, Baebius Massa had the last laugh against Herennius Senecio. Emperor Domitian (r. 81-96) was ruling the Roman Empire at the time, and Senecio was a leading member of the Stoic Opposition faction in the senate that opposed dynastic emperors and instead wanted to restore the authority of the Roman Senate in government. Additionally, Herennius Senecio wrote a provocative piece praising the late dissident senator, Helvidius Priscus the Elder, who was executed in 75 for his outspoken resistance against Emperor Vespasian, the father of Domitian. Baebius Massa, consequently, gave Emperor Domitian a perfect opportunity to eliminate an opposition leader, and, unfortunately, that is exactly what the emperor did. A treason trial was promptly begun by Domitian’s loyalists and Herennius Senecio was executed before the end of the year 93.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Picture Attribution: (Roman sarcophagus with six busts in the Musei Capitolini, photographed by Nicholas Catsimpoolas (19th century), [No known rights restrictions] via Creative Commons and the Digital Commonwealth of Massachusetts).
Sources:
- The Letters of Pliny the Younger, translated by Betty Radice. New York: Penguin Classics, 1963, 1969.
- Agricola and Germania by Tacitus and translated by Harold Mattingly and revised by J. B. Rives. New York: Penguin Classics, 2009.
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Domitian
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pliny-the-Younger
- https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3032?p=emailActIxKQB4uEVQ&d=/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3032
