[Iustiniani Institutiones]

Handwritten marginalia:
Which we have without the help of the moderate world.
Your law is later than knowledge and the Old [Law].

a Africa, which was occupied by the Vandals for 95 years, and Rome was captured by these same Vandals and the imperial ornaments were also transferred into Africa, as in the Code, on the office of the praetorian prefect of Africa, book 1, and in the beginning.
b Africa, under which many provinces are contained.
c Provinces, thus construct both Africa and other innumerable provinces.
d Again added, that is, joined to our jurisdiction, that is, to our legal dominion.
e Empire after such a great time.
f They testify. By our victories, by the celestial divinity, since these provinces were previously of the Roman Empire, after they were deserted, and after 105 years they returned, as is said here again, and after such great spaces of time, as in the Code, on the office of the praetorian prefect of Africa, book 1.
g To God, therefore, up to this point he says how much he had military concern. Now, how he had legal concern.
h Promulgated, that is, by us and say, and newly. And to promulgate is to weave the crude equity hidden by nature into the nets of law, in composing; otherwise in promulgating. To compose, however, is difficult, to reduce promulgated things into order concisely. that is, in composing, that is, in the Digest, in composing
i Composed, that is, by others which we have reformed better; or say "composed by us," that is, piled up by us, as if placed together by us, which are the laws, Digest.

brought under our yoke, both Africa and innumerable other provinces are acknowledged, after such great spaces of time, by our victories granted by the celestial divinity, again added to the Roman dominion and the empire, as they testify. To God, therefore, for the laws promulgated by us, which are ruled by being composed. And when we raised up the most holy constitutions, previously confused, into a lucid harmony, then we extended our cares to the immense volumes of ancient prudence and a work also despaired of, as if going through a deep medium, by celestial favor we have now completed. And when this, by the favor of God, was

y Quaestor, for his simple position, that is, quaestor. The reason why it is called "quaestor" is: first, he who sought the money of the tributaries through the world and kept it; second, he who presided over capital cases; third, he who stood to read the principal books which the candidate of the prince was saying, and thus in this third way I take this here, as in the Digest, on the office of the quaestor, book 1.

done by Tribonian, a magnificent man, master and quaestor of our sacred palace, and also Theophilus and Dorotheus, illustrious men, our professors, whose skill and knowledge of laws and faithfulness we have already accepted from many arguments of affairs, we summoned and ordered them specially that they should compose our Institutiones Introductory textbooks, so that it may be allowed for you to learn the first cradles of the laws not from ancient fables, but from imperial splendor, and so that both your ears and your minds may possess nothing useless, nothing falsely placed, but that which in them