Ne leones sint in ullo loco republicae Romanae.
That there shall be no panders in any part of the Roman Republic.
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We ordain that everyone must, as near as possible, live virtuously, which alone can, with confidence, commend the souls of men to God. But since humanity is weak, we at least forbid anyone to be led into unchastity by trickery, fraud or force. No one shall carry on the trade of pandering, prostitute women or men in private or in public for gratification of the passions, or do any other act to that end. No one shall take any written promises or demand any sureties, on that account or do anything whereby miserable and unwilling people are compelled to violate their chastity; nor shall anyone hereafter allure them by giving them clothing, ornaments or food in order to continue doing so. We permit nothing of the kind to be done, and now provide a suitable remedy for all these things, directing that every written promise given in connection with such shameful conduct shall be given back to them, and that such nefarious panders shall not even have the right to receive back what they gave to them. If any one hereafter takes a person against their will and keeps them by force in order to make money for himself by meretricious traffic, he shall be arrested by the police and tried accordingly. For as we have appointed such police as avengers of theft and robbery of property, should we not even for better reasons entrust them to uproot theft and robbery of chastity? And if anyone has a pander in his house exercising his trade and making money in the manner stated, and with knowledge thereof fails to expel him, he will be punished. So if anyone hereafter takes a written promise or surety, he will have no benefit therefrom, since the surety will not be bound, the written promise shall be void, and the person taking them will be punished, as stated before.
Given 1 December 535.