And first let us look at those who are in the power of masters.

1 Now slaves are in the power of masters, a power recognised
by the law of all nations, for all nations present the spectacle of
masters invested with power of life and death over slaves; and
to whatever is acquired through a slave his owner is entitled.
2 But in the present day no one under our sway is permitted to
indulge in excessive harshness towards his slaves, without some
reason recognised by law; for, by a constitution of the Emperor
Antoninus Pius, a man is made as liable to punishment for killing
his own slave as for killing the slave of another person; and
extreme severity on the part of masters is checked by another
constitution whereby the same Emperor, in answer to inquiries
from presidents of provinces concerning slaves who take refuge
at churches or statues of the Emperor, commanded that on
proof of intolerable cruelty a master should be compelled to
sell his slaves on fair terms, so as to receive their value. And
both of these are reasonable enactments, for the public interest
requires that no one should make an evil use of his own property.
The terms of the rescript of Antoninus to Aelius Marcianus are
as follow: -- `The powers of masters over their slaves ought to
continue undiminished, nor ought any man to be deprived of
his lawful rights; but it is the master's own interest that relief
justly sought against cruelty, insufficient sustenance, or intoler-
able wrong, should not be denied. I enjoin you then to look
into the complaints of the slaves of Iulius Sabinus, who have
fled for protection to the statue of the Emperor, and if you find
them treated with undue harshness or other ignominious wrong,
order them to be sold, so that they may not again fall under the
power of their master; and the latter will find that if he attempts