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being sent, for in writing he used these words: Facite ... as one might say by way of interpretation: "to the chief men," as I said, of the register, in which the one entrusted with the votes happens to serve. "so that he may not suffer harm concerning his own rank through default, appoint so-and-so from the staff from the present day until such-and-such a day, in the consulship of so-and-so, provided, however, that he is of the orthodox faith, initiated in the divine mysteries and is not 152 liable for public taxes, nor is he related by birth to the one who submitted the petition, nor indeed was he entrusted in the past year in the same province for a public or private need; in such a way, however, as not to transgress the force of the established laws." With these words, indeed, the assistant of the *primiscrinius* secured all those being promoted; after whom came the *princeps*, that is, the chief, about whom it is not now the time to speak; for he himself is not part of the staff, but comes from the *magistriani* by rank to the highest courts at some time; and a little later I shall set forth the history concerning him; after whom came the *cornicularius*, who, as it were, preserved the whole force of the law and was master of all that was transacted, and by his own signature gave his sanction to the decisions. 13 So many were the things then being transacted, that they could scarcely be taken up for summary in a tenth volume. And what difficulty is there in delaying the account for the proof of the matter at hand? So great was the multitude of transactions, that the whole year was not sufficient for the assistants to complete them, so that after the end of the so-called period of assistance they had a space assigned to them in the middle of the entrance to the praetorian court, near the bureau of Europe, where, running together, they completed what had been transacted during their service. And those who had just ceased from assisting the current bureaus occupied themselves with these things, gathering no small consolation from the profits, while those before them and already previously at leisure flocked there, being entrusted with the greatest and most brilliant of the magistrate's commands and as many as someone else had not been able to bring to a conclusion, not even taking the time of leisure devoid of rational inquiries, as the arguments of those renowned among teachers converged on them and discussed obscure 154 points. But all things were so extinguished that, with the place thereafter vacant, the so-called *exceptores*, as if receivers of the grain, took possession of the bureau, the once-admired things having vanished. 14 And while many and beyond number are the marks of the ancient dignity that have perished, the members of the staff even endure to demand paper from the litigants, whereas it was formerly the custom not only not to engage in such stingy practices but also for the most transparent papers of all to be used for the transactions, with the writers' pens fittingly conspicuous on the parchments; but hereafter both are gone, and they collect a very mean and shameful bronze coin out of pettiness and issue grass instead of paper with poor letters stinking of poverty. All these things have been utterly lost and have gone a way of no return, both because there are no affairs for the subjects who are being destroyed by poverty, and because those that happen to be brought to the court are in peril, now from the inexperience of those serving in it, now from the usurpations of younger men, who have, as it happens, tossed up the reins of the first honors with boyish acts of presumption. 15 So much for the customs in written matters, but a multitude of *ducenarii* was subordinate to the tribunal of the *primiscrinii*, serving the decisions from unwritten commands, which they called *zeuktai*—a matter which, after the introduction of infinite profits from the transaction papers, brought a very great flow of money to the care of the *primiscrinius*. For from an untimely hour of the night until day the prefect of the East, conducting business, was occupied, keeping vigil over decisions, after which he would spend the 156 customary time of the day from his labors on public matters and on the suggestions of pragmatic, instructional, and ex-parte matters, the time, the

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στελλόμενον, τούτοις γὰρ γράφων ἐχρῆτο τοῖς ῥήμασιν· Facite ... ὡς ἄν τις καθ' ἑρμηνείαν εἴποι· «πρὸς τοὺς πρωτεύοντας» ὡς ἔφην, τοῦ καταλόγου, ἐν ᾧ τελεῖ τυχὸν ὁ τὰς ψήφους ἐγχειριζόμενος. «ὥστε μὴ περὶ τὸν βαθμὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἐξ ἀπολείψεως βλάβην ὑποστῆναι, ἀφορίσατε τόνδε ἐκ τάξεως ἀπὸ τῆς παρούσης ἡμέρας ἄχρι τῆσδε, ὑπατείας τοῦδε, εἰ μέντοι ἐστὶ τῆς ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως τοῖς θείοις μεμυημένος μυστηρίοις καὶ μὴ 152 δημοσίοις τελέσμασιν ὑπεύθυνός ἐστιν, μηδὲ πρὸς γένος συνάπτεται τῷ τὴν αἴτησιν ἀποθεμένῳ, μηδὲ μὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρελθόντος ἐνιαυτοῦ ἐνεχειρίσθη ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπαρχίας δημοσίας ἕνεκεν ἢ ἰδιωτικῆς χρείας· οὕτω μέντοι, ὥστε μὴ παραβῆναι τὴν δύναμιν τῶν νενομοθετημένων.» τούτοις μὲν τοῖς ῥήμασιν ὁ βοηθὸς τοῦ πριμισκρινίου τοὺς πραττομένους κατησφαλίζετο πάντας· μεθ' ὃν ὁ πρίγκεψ, οἷον ὁ πρωτεύων περὶ οὗ τέως εἰπεῖν οὐ καιρός· οὐδὲ γὰρ μέρος τῆς τάξεώς ἐστι καὶ αὐτός, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν μαγιστριανῶν κατὰ βαθμὸν παραγίνεται ἐπὶ τὰ μέγιστά ποτε δικαστήρια· καὶ μικρὸν ὕστερον τὴν ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἱστορίαν ἐκθήσομαι· μεθ' οὓς ὁ κορνικουλάριος, οἷα τὴν ὅλην τοῦ νόμου δύναμιν διατηρῶν καὶ τῶν πραττομένων ἁπάντων κύριος, δι' οἰκείας ὑποσημειώσεως τὴν ὀφρὺν ἐδίδου τοῖς ἀποπεφασμένοις. 13 Τοσαῦτα δὲ ἦν τὰ τότε πραττόμενα, ὡς δεκάτῳ τόμῳ μόγις ἀναλαμβάνεσθαι πρὸς σύνοψιν. καὶ τί χαλεπὸν ἐμβραδῦναι τῷ λόγῳ πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ προκειμένου; τοσοῦτον ἦν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πραττομένων, ὡς ὅλον τὸ ἔτος μὴ ἀρκεῖν τοὺς βοηθοῦντας πρὸς πλήρωσιν αὐτῶν, ὥστε μετὰ τὸ πέρας τῆς λεγομένης βοηθούρας ἔχειν χῶρον ἀπονενεμημένον αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς μέσης εἰσόδου τῆς πραιτωρίας αὐλῆς πρὸς τοῦ σκρινίου τῆς Εὐρώπης, ἐν ᾗ συντρέχοντες ἐπλήρουν τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῶν λειτουργίας πραχθέντα. καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν οἱ ἄρτι τοῦ βοηθεῖν τοῖς τρέχουσι σκρινίοις πεπαυμένοι τούτοις ἐνησχολοῦντο, παραψυχὴν οὐ μικρὰν κερδῶν ἐκλεγόμενοι, οἱ δὲ πρὸ αὐτῶν καὶ ἤδη πρότερον σχολάζοντες ἐκεῖ συνέρρεον, τὰς μεγίστας καὶ λαμπρὰς τῶν τῆς ἀρχῆς προστάξεων ἐγχειριζόμενοι καὶ ὅσαις ἕτερός τις πέρας οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἐπιθεῖναι, μηδὲ τὸν τῆς ἀργίας καιρὸν ἔρημον λογικῶν ζητημάτων ἀπολαμβάνοντες, τῶν ἐνδόξων ἐν διδασκάλοις λόγων συντρεχόντων ὡς αὐτοὺς καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀγνοουμένων 154 συζητούντων. ἀπέσβη δὲ οὕτως ἅπαντα ὡς, τοῦ τόπου τὸ λοιπὸν σχολάζοντος, τοὺς λεγομένους ἐκσκεπταρίους, οἷον εἰ ὑποδέκτας τοῦ σίτου, κατασχεῖν τὸ σκρινίον τῶν πάλαι θαυμαζομένων ἀφανισθέντων. 14 Πολλῶν δὲ ὄντων καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἐξολωλότων τῆς πάλαι σεμνότητος γνωρισμάτων, καὶ χάρτην ἀπαιτεῖν οἱ τῆς τάξεως ὑπομένουσι τοὺς πράττοντας, τὸ πρὶν εἰωθός, μὴ μόνον μὴ τοιούτοις γλίσχροις ἐγχειρεῖν ἀλλ' ἔτι καὶ τοὺς πάντων διειδεστάτους χάρτας ἐπὶ τοῖς πραττομένοις ἀναλίσκεσθαι, ἀναλόγως ἐμπρεπόντων τοῖς σκύτεσι τῶν γραφέων· τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ἑκάτερον ἐκποδών, καὶ χαλκὸν κάρτα μέτριον καὶ αἰσχρὸν εἰσπράττουσιν ἐξ ἀκερμίας καὶ χόρτον ἀντὶ χάρτου γράμμασι φαύλοις καὶ πενίᾳ ὄζουσιν ἐκδιδόασιν. ταῦτα πάντα παραπόλωλε καὶ ἀνυπόστροφον ἀπῆλθεν ὁδὸν τῷ τε μὴ εἶναι πράγματα τοῖς ὑπηκόοις πενίᾳ καταφθειρομένοις τῷ τε τὰ τυχὸν ἐπὶ τὸ δικαστήριον φερόμενα κινδυνεύειν, νῦν μὲν ἀπειρίᾳ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ τελούντων, νῦν δὲ σφετερισμοῖς νεωτέρων, ὡς ἔτυχεν τὰς ἡνίας τῶν πρώτων τιμῶν παιδαριώδεσιν αὐθαδείαις ἀναρριπτόντων. 15 Τοσαῦτα μὲν περὶ τῶν ἐν γράμμασιν ἐθῶν, πλῆθος δὲ δουκηναρίων ὑπούργει τῷ τῶν πριμισκρινίων βήματι, ταῖς ἐξ ἀγράφων προστάξεων διαγνώσεσιν, ἃς ἐκάλουν ζευκτάς, ἐξυπηρετουμένων-πρᾶγμα μετὰ τὴν ἐκ τῶν πραττομένων χαρτῶν ἄπειρον τῶν κερδῶν εἰσαγωγὴν πλείστην ῥοπὴν χρημάτων περιποιοῦν τῷ τοῦ πριμισκρινίου φροντίσματι. ἀπὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀώρου νυκτὸς πράττων ὁ ὕπαρχος ἀνατολῶν ἄχρι τῆς ἡμέρας ταῖς διαγνώσεσι νυκτηγρετῶν ἐνησχολεῖτο, μεθ' ἣν τὸν ἐπὶ καμάτῳ 156 νενομισμένον καιρὸν τῆς ἡμέρας τοῖς δημοσίοις καὶ ταῖς ὑποβολαῖς τῶν πραγματικῶν διδασκαλικῶν τε καὶ μονομερῶν ἐδαπάνα χρόνον, τὸν