decollatio

Updated: January 13, 2026

There is no pardoning soi-disant liberaux, who prove, by their acts, the greatest enemies of the sacred dignity of liberty. Decollatio, or beheading, was a military punishment among the Romans. In early times it was performed with an axe, and afterwards with a sword.

Various - The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction : Volume 20, No. 560, August 4, 1832