1. A petition to the emperor requesting him to decide a case, not already before a court, in first instance or, sometimes, to reopen a case in which no appeal is normally allowed.
“Another mode was supplicatio, petition to the Emperor by a private person, not allowed when the question was already before a court or had been decided and not properly appealed. It was mainly used to bring matters before the Emperor or his delegate, in first instance, where for any reason it was unlikely that justice would be done, e.g. where the claimant was humble and the opponent a ‘potentior,’ or where the claimant was of too high rank to go before the ordinary court, or the decision was of an unappealable magistrate.” W.W. Buckland, Elementary Principles of the Roman Private Law 671 (1912).
2. A petition for a pardon on a first offense.
3. Hist. A pleading similar to a rejoinder. Pl. supplicationes (s[schwa]p-li-kay-shee-oh-neez).
