Clutorius Priscus (c. 20 BC – 21 AD) was a Roman poet. Priscus was paid an honorarium by the Roman Emperor

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

to produce a

panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of - ' ...

for his nephew and adopted son

Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was a Roman people, Roman general and politician most famously known for his campaigns against Arminius in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicu ...

upon his death in AD 19. Two years later, Tiberius' son

Drusus Julius Caesar Drusus Julius Caesar (7 October – 14 September AD 23), also called Drusus the Younger, was the son of Emperor Tiberius, and heir to the Roman Empire following the death of his adoptive brother Germanicus in AD 19. He was born at Rome to a ...

fell ill but recovered. During that illness, Priscus prepared another panegyric in the hope of winning another payment. He read it to a small audience of men and women at the home of Publius Petronius in 21 AD. The consul elect

Decimus Haterius Agrippa Decimus Haterius Agrippa (c. 13 BCAD 32) was a Roman plebeian tribune, praetor and consul. He was the son of the orator and senator Quintus Haterius and his wife Vipsania. Career He became plebeian tribune in AD 15 and vetoed proposals. Agrippa ...

denounced him and called for him to be tried for a

capital offense Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

. Drusus himself, who had a reputation for excessive cruelty, presided over the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

trial in the absence of the emperor at

Capreae Capri ( , ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. A popular resort destination since the time of the Roman Republic, its natural beaut ...

. Manius Aemilius Lepidus argued without success that the proposed death sentence was excessively harsh, given that the poem was not dangerous, merely tasteless and degrading. He also contended that a death sentence might lead Priscus to commit suicide, depriving the emperor of the ability to exercise clemency, as he often did. He suggested that Priscus be banished from Rome and have his property confiscated. The Senate supported Agrippa's position. Priscus was sentenced to death and immediately executed. Tiberius wrote a letter to the Senate following the execution of Priscus thanking them for their loyalty but expressing disapproval of their haste. This led to a revision of the law to require an interval of ten days between sentencing and execution.

References

;Primary sources *

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

, ''

Annales Annals are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year. The equivalent word in Latin and French is ''annales'', which is used untranslated in English in various contexts. List of works with titles contai ...

'' III 49–51 *

Cassius Dio Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

LVII 20.3–4 ;Secondary sources *Francesco M. Petrini, "Considerazioni su Clutorio Prisco e il suo processo (Tac. ann. III 49-51, Cass. Dio LVII 20,3-4)", ''Klio'' 90 (2008). {{DEFAULTSORT:Priscus, Clutorius 20s BC births 21 deaths 1st-century Roman poets Year of birth uncertain