Augustine d. c. d., book 1, xix, the word impune

Latin Learning Latin
1

Vos appello, leges iudicesque Romani.Nempe post perpetrata facinora nec quemquam scelestum indemnatum impune voluistis occidi.

Here is the LCL translation: “I appeal to you, laws and judges of Rome. We know that, when crimes had been perpetrated you forbade any execution even of the guilty without trial.”

I don’t understand how the Latin word “impune” fits into the meaning of this sentence.

2

I think indemnatus and impune enable Augustine to cover both sides of the killing, i. e. proper procedures have to be followed, both as regards the criminal and his executioners:

  • the criminal is not to be killed indemnatus, “without having been sentenced”
  • those who do it it should not do it impune, “with impunity”.
3

Does the following catch your meaning, Shenoute?

i.e. in case anybody, without a lawful sentence, executed the criminal anyway, those ordering/performing the execution should not do this with impunity. [This reminds me of the example of Cicero who ordered the killing without trial of the pro-Cataline conspirators.]

Latin quotation repeated for ease of reference:

Vos appello, leges iudicesque Romani. Nempe post perpetrata facinora nec quemquam scelestum indemnatum impune voluistis occidi.

4

Yes, I think that catches my meaning. It doesn’t matter if someone is a scelestus, as long as he is indemnatus he cannot be killed impune.

5

That looks right to me, many thanks, Shenoute.

Somehow, while working on the sentence, I was stuck in an error, so that impune didn’t make any sense. As often happens, now that the meaning is explained clearly, I can no longer recall my erroneous understanding.

This happens to me often in language study.