Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 1.36 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.36
As for war, humane laws touching it are drawn up in the fetial code of the Roman People under all the guarantees of religion; and from this it may be gathered that no war is just, unless it is entered upon after an official demand for satisfaction has been submitted or warning has been given and a formal declaration made. Popilius was general in command of a province. In his army Cato's son was serving on his first campaign. When Popilius decided to disband one of his legions, he discharged also young Cato, who was serving in that same legion. But when the young man out of love for the service stayed on in the field, his father wrote to Popilius to say that if he let him stay in the army, he should swear him into service with a new oath of allegiance, for in view of the voidance of his former oath he could not legally fight the foe. So extremely scrupulous was the observance of the laws in regard to the conduct of war.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 1.36, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/1.36
Cicero, On Duties (De Officiis), tr. Walter Miller (Loeb, 1913). Text: Perseus Digital Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesRoman war law required formal demands and declarations before a war was just, and an anecdote about a young soldier shows how strictly even the oath of service was kept. It is Roman legal and military detail with little direct life guidance.
Older wording
- “fetial code”
- — Roman ritual law governing declarations of war
- “voidance”
- — cancellation
Themes and situations
- Justice and fairness
- Duty and roles
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