potestas: Difference between revisions

|lshtext=<b>pŏtestas</b>: ātis (<br /><b>I</b> gen. plur. potestatium, Sen. Ep. 115, 7; Plin. 29, 4, 20, § 67), f. [[possum]].<br /><b>I</b> Lit., in gen., [[ability]], [[power]] of doing [[any]] [[thing]] ([[class]].): SI FVRIOSVS EST AGNATORVM GENTILIVMQVE IN EO PECVNIAQVE EIVS POTESTAS ESTO, Fragm. XII. Tabularum: vim tantam in se et potestatem habere tantae astutiae, to [[have]] [[such]] a [[power]] of [[craftiness]], to be [[able]] to [[devise]] [[such]] tricks, Ter. Heaut. 4, 3, 32: aut [[potestas]] defuit aut [[facultas]] aut [[voluntas]], Cic. Inv. 2, 7, 24: habere potestatem vitae necisque in aliquem, id. Dom. 29, 77; id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 3, § 11: potestatem alicui deferre beneficiorum tribuendorum, id. Balb. 16, 37. —Poet., [[with]] inf.: [[potestas]] occurrere [[telis]] ... ensem avellere dextrā, Stat. Th. 3, 296; Luc. 2, 40.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>B</b> In phrases.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>1</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Esse in potestate alicujus, to be in one's [[power]], under one's [[control]], to be [[subject]] to (for a [[description]] of the [[relation]] of [[potestas]] under the Roman [[law]], and of the classes of persons to whom it applied, v. Gai. Inst. 1, 49 sqq.): mittuntur legati, qui nuntient, ut [[sit]] in senatūs populique Romani potestate, Cic. Phil. 6, 2, 4: esse in dicione ac potestate alicujus, id. Quint. 2, 6: habere familiam in potestate, to [[keep]] [[them]] slaves, not to [[free]] [[them]], Liv. 8, 15.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>2</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Esse in suā potestate, to be one's [[own]] [[master]], Nep. Att. 6, 1; so, esse suae potestatis, Liv. 31, 45.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>3</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Jus potestatemque habere imperandi, Cic. Phil. 11, 12, 30; cf.: cum consulis eā de re jus ac potestatem esse dixisset, had [[jurisdiction]] and [[authority]] [[over]] it, Liv. 24, 39.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>4</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Est mea (tua, etc.) [[potestas]], I [[have]] the [[power]], I can, Cic. Att. 2, 5, 1; Ter. Heaut. 4, 3, 42; cf.: sed volui meam potestatem esse vel petendi, etc., Cic. Att. 4, 2, 6.—<br /><b>II</b> In partic.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>A</b> Political [[power]], [[dominion]], [[rule]], [[empire]], [[sovereignty]] (syn.: [[imperium]], [[dicio]]): Thessaliam in potestatem Thebanorum redigere, Nep. Pelop. 5, 1; Liv. 24, 31; so, sub potestatem Atheniensium redigere, Nep. Milt. 1, 4: esse in potestate alicujus, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 54, § 136: [[tenere]] aliquem in suā potestate ac dicione, id. ib. 2, 1, 38, § 97: venire in [[arbitrium]] ac potestatem alicujus, id. ib. 2, 1, 57, § 150.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>B</b> Magisterial [[power]], [[authority]], [[office]], [[magistracy]] (syn.: [[magistratus]], [[auctoritas]]): [[potestas]] praetoria, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 24, 69: qui [[togatus]] in re publicā cum potestate imperioque versatus [[sit]], id. Phil. 1, 7, 18: [[modo]] ut bonā ratione emerit, [[nihil]] pro potestate, [[nihil]] ab [[invito]], id. Verr. 2, 4, 5, § 10: cum potestate aut legatione in provinciam proficisci, id. ib. 2, 4, 5, § 9; id. Clu. 27, 74: censores dederunt operam, ut ita potestatem gererent, ut, etc., so to [[administer]] the [[office]], id. Verr. 2, 2, 55, § 138; id. Agr. 2, 6, 14.—In plur.: imperia, potestates, legationes, id. Leg. 3, 3, 9: in potestatibus gerendis, Auct. Her. 3, 7, 14.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>b</b> Transf.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(a)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A [[person]] in [[office]], a [[public]] [[officer]], [[magistrate]]: a magistratu aut ab aliquā potestate legitimā evocatus, by [[some]] [[lawful]] [[authority]], Cic. Tusc. 1, 30, 74: [[mavis]] Fidenarum esse [[potestas]], Juv. 10, 100.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(b)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A [[ruler]], [[supreme]] [[monarch]]: hominum rerumque aeterna [[potestas]], i. e. Jupiter, Verg. A. 10, 18: [[nihil]] est [[quod]] credere de se Non possit, cum laudatur dis aequa [[potestas]], Juv. 4, 71 (v. context): potestates, = ἀρχαί, the [[highest]] magistrates, Plin. 9, 8, 8, § 26; Suet. Ner. 36; Amm. 31, 12, 5: celsae potestates, officers of [[state]], id. 14, 1, 10: jurisdictionem potestatibus per provincias demandare, Suet. Claud. 23.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>C</b> Esp., [[legal]] [[power]], [[right]] [[over]] or to a [[thing]] ([[class]].): potestatis verbo plura significantur: in personā magistratuum [[imperium]], in personā liberorum [[patria]] [[potestas]], in personā servi [[dominium]]: at cum agimus de noxae deditione cum eo, qui servum non defendit, praesentis corporis copiam facultatemque significamus. Ex lege Atiniā in potestatem domini rem furtivam venisse videri, et si ejus vindicandae potestatem habuerit, Sabinus et [[Cassius]] aiunt, Dig. 50, 16, 215.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>D</b> Of [[inanimate]] things, [[power]], [[force]], [[efficacy]], [[effect]], [[operation]], [[virtue]], [[value]]: potestates colorum, Vitr. 7, 14: potestates visque herbarum, Verg. A. 12, 396; Plin. 25, 2, 5, § 9: pecuniarum, [[value]], Dig. 13, 4, 3: haec potestatibus praesentibus dijudicanda sunt, circumstances, [[state]] of things, Gell. 1, 3, 24: actionum vis et [[potestas]], Dig. 9, 4, 1: [[quaternarius]] [[numerus]] suis partibus complet decadis ipsius potestatem ([[because]] the [[first]] [[four]] integers, taken [[together]], = 10), [[compass]], [[fulness]], Mart. Cap. 2, § 106: plumbi [[potestas]], [[nature]], [[quality]], properties, Lucr. 5, 1242: [[naturalis]], Vitr. 9, 4.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>E</b> Of a [[word]], [[meaning]], [[signification]] (syn.: vis, [[significatio]]), Gell. 10, 29, 1; Auct. Her. 4, 54, 67; Sen. Ben. 2, 34, 4.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>F</b> Math. t. t., = [[δύναμις]]>, the [[square]] [[root]], Mart. Cap. 2, § 106.—<br /><b>III</b> Trop.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>A</b> Power, [[control]], [[command]] ([[class]].): dum ex tanto gaudio in potestatem nostram redeamus, [[recover]] [[our]] [[self]]-[[control]], [[come]] to [[ourselves]], [[Cato]] ap. Gell. 7, 3, 14: exisse ex potestate dicimus eos, qui effrenati feruntur aut libidine, aut iracundiā, to [[have]] [[lost]] the [[control]] of [[their]] [[reason]], to be [[out]] of [[their]] minds, Cic. Tusc. 3, 5, 11; cf.: qui exisse ex potestate dicuntur, [[idcirco]] dicuntur, [[quia]] non sunt in potestate mentis, cui [[regnum]] totius animi a [[natura]] [[tributum]] est, id. ib. 3, 5, 11; cf. also id. ib. 4, 36, 77: [[postquam]] ad te cum omnium rerum tum [[etiam]] tui potestatem di transtulerint, Plin. [[Pan]]. 56, 3.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>B</b> Power, [[ability]], possibility, [[opportunity]] ([[class]].; cf.: [[copia]], [[facultas]]): ubi mihi [[potestas]] [[primum]] evenit, Plaut. Cist. 1, 2, 18: liberius vivendi, Ter. And. 1, 1, 25: ut [[primum]] [[potestas]] [[data]] est augendae dignitatis tuae, Cic. Fam. 10, 13, 1: quoties mihi certorum hominum [[potestas]] erit (al. [[facultas]]), [[whenever]] I [[find]] men on whom I can rely, id. ib. 1, 7, 1: facere potestatem, to [[give]] [[opportunity]], [[leave]], permission: si [[quid]] de his rebus dicere vellet, feci potestatem, id. Cat. 3, 5, 11: quae [[potestas]] si mihi saepius fiet, utar, shall [[present]] itself, id. Phil. 1, 15, 38: alicui potestatem optionemque facere, ut, etc., id. Div. in Caecil. 14, 45: [[facio]] [[tibi]] interpellandi potestatem, id. Rosc. Am. 27, 73: ego instare, omnium mihi tabularum et litterarum fieri potestatem oportere, [[must]] be allowed the [[use]] of, id. Verr. 2, 4, 66, § 149: potestatem sui facere, to [[allow]] others to see or [[have]] [[access]] to one, to [[give]] an [[opportunity]] of conversing [[with]] one: cum [[neque]] praetores diebus [[aliquot]] adiri possent vel potestatem sui facerent, allowed [[themselves]] to be [[spoken]] to, id. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 5, § 15: facere omnibus conveniendi sui potestatem, to [[admit]] to an [[audience]], id. Phil. 8, 10, 31: qui potestatem sui non habuissent, [[who]] had not been [[able]] to [[speak]] [[with]] him, Suet. Tib. 34: potestatem sui facere, to [[give]] an [[opportunity]] of [[fighting]] [[with]] one, Caes. B. G. 1, 40; Nep. Ages. 3, 3.—Poet., [[with]] inf.: non fugis [[hinc]] [[praeceps]], dum praecipitare [[potestas]], Verg. A. 4, 565: [[nunc]] flere [[potestas]] est, Luc. 2, 40: soli cui tanta [[potestas]] meis occurrere [[telis]], Stat. Th. 3, 296.—<br /> In eccl. Lat.: potestates, angels, angelic powers, authorities in the [[spiritual]] [[world]], Vulg. Ephes. 6, 12; id. 1 Pet. 3, 22; sing., id. 1 Cor. 15, 24.—<br /> Personified, a [[daughter]] of [[Pallas]] and [[Styx]], Hyg. Fab. prooem.