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that they, being filled, disdained to return again to the writing tablet and the moderation that comes from disinterestedness. Hence, at their request, a law was established by Arcadius, decreeing that the Prefecture should establish for its own service a special and entirely separate corps of thirty men in number, who had already previously distinguished themselves in assisting; for it was not easy at that time, when the emperors along with the senate heard cases, for everyone to serve in the best way; so that even fifteen of them, the more mature and better in experience and time, were set apart to subscribe for the emperors, whom even now they call *deputati*, who are the chief of the corps of the *Augustales*; for the name *a secretis* of those recently sprung up did not yet exist, since the financial inquiries were extremely moderate, with the former emperors rushing off to wars, and those governing the provinces being vigilant for the laws but not for theft. And to the corps of the 148 said thirty men, the law gave the name of *Augustales*, not a new or recent one, but recalling the name of the first of the emperors, who, as we have often said, having first established the Praetorian Prefecture, decreed that those serving under it should be called *Augustales* from his own name.

CONCERNING THE *PRIMISCRINII* AND THE ANCIENT ISSUING OF DOCUMENTS 11 With most, or perhaps all, of the traces of the prudent

antiquity having been wiped away, one could hardly bear it without continually weeping, learning from what follows how the law formerly held to the liberty of its subjects, and how many good things our time has lost little by little through the misfortune of those who are ruled. It was an ancient custom that nothing be done outside the Sanctuary of Justice, which is called the Secretum—as if it were undisturbed and solemn in its silence, and of a kind that no longer exists in any way—so that nothing might be done amiss to the insult or harm of the taxpayers. After the lawful pronouncement of the sentences, it was the law for those who sat with the magistrate, most learned men of law, first reading the sentences and subjoining to the so-called *schedarium* what among the Italians is called a *recensum*, that is, a "checking," to give it for the signature of the magistrate to those appointed for this—they call them *cancellarii* in the courts, about whom I will speak at the end; then from there, when the so-called "clean copy" was duly read out by the *secretarii* and thus released to the litigant—as if to one keeping watch for justice—150 the *secretarius* would make a summary of the import of the proceedings in Italian words and keep this with himself to prevent any audacious addition or subtraction. When this was done, the petitioner, having received it and marveling at the exactness of the court, would go to the *primiscrinii* who would appoint an executor for the decisions; and they, through those appointed to assist them—men who caused trouble for their own teachers with inquiries about words—would execute it, writing on the back of the petition with letters immediately grave with all reverence and the weight of authority, adding the title of the executor. 12 But it comes to me to weep as I understand the power of the law and how the Demon, tearing us down, has deprived us of all virtue. For the law, suspecting, and not without reason, that those procuring the sentences would come to presumptuous agreements with their executors against those whom they were bringing them against, decreed that those entrusted [with them] should be instructed by those serving the court with stern words threatening penalties, and that these things should be written down to the shame of the executors in the provinces who dare all things. For the assistant, as it were, entrusting to the chiefs of the corps, in which it happened that the one for the execution of the sentences was enrolled

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ἦν ἐμφορουμένους αὐτοὺς ἀπαξιοῦν αὖθις ἐπὶ τὴν δέλτον καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀκερδείας ἐπιείκειαν ἀναστρέφειν. ἔνθεν ἐκ δεήσεως αὐτῶν νόμος πρὸς Ἀρκαδίου τίθεται θεσπίζων, ἰδιάζον καὶ πάντη κεχωρισμένον σύστημα τριάκοντα τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἀνδρῶν ἤδη πρότερον ἐν τῷ βοηθεῖν διαφαινομένων συστῆσαι τὴν ἐπαρχότητα πρὸς ὑπηρεσίαν ἑαυτῇ· οὐδὲ γὰρ εὐχερὲς ἦν τὸ τηνικαῦτα, τῶν βασιλέων ἅμα τῇ βουλῇ δίκας ἀκροωμένων, τοὺς πάντας ἄριστα ὑπηρετεῖν· ὥστε καὶ πεντεκαίδεκα ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν πεπανωτέρων πείρᾳ τε καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ κρειττόνων πρὸς ὑπογραφὴν τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἀφορισθῆναι, οὓς ἔτι καὶ νῦν δηπουτάτους καλοῦσιν, οἳ τοῦ τάγματος τῶν Αὐγουσταλίων πρωτεύουσιν· οὔπω γὰρ ἦν τὸ τῶν ἄρτι παραφυέντων ἀ σηκρήτις ὄνομα, μετρίων σφόδρα τῶν χρηματικῶν ζητήσεων οὐσῶν, τῶν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν βασιλέων ἐπὶ τοὺς πολέμους ὁρμώντων, καὶ τῶν τὰς ἐπαρχίας ἰθυνόντων τοῖς νόμοις ἀλλ' οὐ ταῖς κλοπαῖς προσαγρυπνούντων. τῷ δὲ συστήματι τῶν 148 εἰρημένων τριάκοντα ἀνδρῶν τὴν τῶν Αὐγουσταλίων ὁ νόμος ἔθετο προσηγορίαν, οὐ καινὴν οὐδὲ πρόσφατον, τὴν δὲ τοῦ πρώτου τῶν βασιλέων ὀνομασίαν ἀνακαλεσάμενος, ὅς, ὡς πολλάκις ἔφαμεν, πρῶτος τὴν ἐπαρχότητα συστησάμενος τῶν πραιτωρίων τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτῇ τελοῦντας Αὐγουσταλίους ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας προσηγορίας καλεῖσθαι διώρισεν.

ΠΕΡῚ ΤΩ͂Ν ΠΡΙΜΙΣΚΡΙΝΊΩΝ ΚΑῚ ΤΗ͂Σ ἈΡΧΑΊΑΣ ΤΩ͂Ν ΧΑΡΤΩ͂Ν ἘΚ∆ΌΣΕΩΣ 11 Τῶν πλείστων, τάχα δὲ πάντων, τῶν ἰχνῶν ἀπαλιφέντων τῆς ἔμφρονος

παλαιότητος, οὐκ ἔξω δακρύων ἄν τις διατελῶν ὑπομείνοι, γιγνώσκων ἐκ τῶν ὑποκειμένων, ὅπως ἀντείχετο τὸ πρὶν ὁ νόμος τῆς τῶν ὑπηκόων ἐλευθερίας, καὶ ὅσων κατὰ σμικρὸν ἀγαθῶν ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀρχομένων κακοδαιμονίας ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς χρόνος ἐξέπεσεν. ἔθος ἀρχαῖον ἦν μηδὲν ἔξωθεν πράττεσθαι τοῦ τῆς ∆ίκης Ἱεροῦ ὃ καλεῖται Σήκρητον, οἷον εἰ ἀτάραχον καὶ σιγῇ σεμνόν, καὶ ὁποῖον οὐκέτι κατ' οὐδένα τρόπον, ὅπως μή τι πρὸς ὕβρεως ἢ βλάβης τῶν συντελῶν ἁμαρτηθείη. μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἔνθεσμον τῶν ψήφων ἀπόφασιν νόμος ἦν τοὺς συνεδρεύοντας τῇ ἀρχῇ, ἄνδρας νομικωτάτους, ἀναγινώσκοντας πρῶτον τὰς ψήφους καὶ ὑποτάττοντας τῷ λεγομένῳ σχεδαρίῳ τὸ παρ' Ἰταλοῖς καλούμενον ῥέκηνσον, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀντιβολήν, διδόναι πρὸς ὑπογραφὴν τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῖς εἰς τοῦτο τεταγμένοις καγκελλαρίους αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις ἐπιφημίζουσιν, περὶ ὧν πρὸς πέρας ἐρῶ· εἶτα ἐκεῖθεν πρὸς τῶν σηκρηταρίων ἐμμελῶς ἀναγινωσκομένου τοῦ λεγομένου καθαροῦ οὕτω τε ἀπολυομένου τῷ λιτιγάτωρι, οἷον εἰ δίκης ἕνεκα παραφυλάττοντι, 150 σύνοψιν ὁ σηκρητάριος ἐποιεῖτο τῆς τοῦ πεπραγμένου δυνάμεως τοῖς Ἰταλῶν ῥήμασι καὶ ταύτην ἐτήρει παρ' ἑαυτῷ πρὸς κώλυμα τολμηρᾶς προσθήκης ἢ ὑφαιρέσεως. οὗ δὴ γενομένου, λαβὼν ὁ πράξας καὶ τῆς ἀκριβείας θαυμάσας τὸ δικαστήριον παρῄει πρὸς τοὺς πριμισκρινίους τάξοντας ἐκβιβαστὴν τοῖς ἀποπεφασμένοις· οἱ δὲ διὰ τῶν βοηθεῖν αὐτοῖς τεταγμένων, ἀνδρῶν καὶ διδασκάλοις αὐτοῖς πράγματα περὶ λόγων ζητήσεις παρεχόντων, ἐπλήρουν, ἐπὶ τοῦ νώτου τῆς ἐντυχίας γράμμασιν αἰδοῦς αὐτόθεν ἁπάσης καὶ ἐξουσίας ὄγκῳ σεσοβημένως πρὸς τὴν προσηγορίαν τοῦ πληρωτοῦ προσγράφοντες. 12 Ἐμοὶ δὲ δακρύειν ἐπέρχεται τὴν τοῦ νόμου συνιέντι δύναμιν καὶ ὅπως πάσης ἡμᾶς ἀρετῆς ἀφείλετο καταξαίνων ὁ ∆αίμων. ὑποπτεύων γὰρ ὁ νόμος, καὶ οὐκ ἔξω λόγου, τῶν ποριζομένων τὰς ψήφους πρὸς τοὺς πληρωτὰς αὐτῶν τὰς καθ' ὧν προσφέροιντο αὐθάδεις ὁμονοίας αὐστηροῖς καὶ ποινὰς ἀπειλοῦσι ῥήμασι παραγγέλλεσθαι διώρισε πρὸς τῶν ὑπηρετουμένων τῇ δίκῃ τοὺς ἐγχειριζομένους, καὶ ταῦτα γράφεσθαι πρὸς ἐντροπὴν τῶν πάντα τολμώντων ἐν ταῖς ἐπαρχίαις ἐκβιβαστῶν. ἐπιτρέπων γὰρ ὥσπερ ὁ βοηθὸς τοῖς πρωτεύουσι τοῦ τάγματος, ἐν ᾧ συνέβαινε καταλέγεσθαι τὸν ἐπὶ τὴν πλήρωσιν τῶν ψήφων