 Adultery was sufficient grounds for divorce, however, and if the wife was at fault, the wronged husband got to keep a portion of her dowry, though not much more than if he had repudiated her for less serious forms of misconduct.As part of the moral legislation of Augustus in 18 BC, the "Lex Iulia de adulteriis" ("Julian Law concerning acts of adultery") was directed at punishing married women who engaged in extra-marital affairs.The implementation of punishment was the responsibility of the "paterfamilias", the male head of household to whose legal and moral authority the adulterous party was subject.