Note 9 — Chapter II · Inquiry Into the Lawfulness of War.
A. C. (Archibald Colin) Campbell translation
By the Silanian decree of the Senate, it was ordered that if a master happened to be murdered in his own house, all the slaves under the same roof should be put to death; even though no proof appeared of their being concerned in the murder. We have an example of the case in Tacitus. Annal. v. xiv. ch. xlii. The Emperor Adrian softened the rigour of that decree, by ordering that only they should be exposed to the rack, who were near enough to have heard some noise. Spartian, Life of Adrian, ch. xviii.