Page:Bury J B The Cambridge Medieval History Vol 2 1913.djvu/252

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224
Administrative Division

archives, and lastly the scrinium operum for the Public Works and the scrinium libellorum for the Jurisdiction. The cohortales, probably assistant clerks, were divided into the scholae of exceptores, singularii, mittendarii, cursores, nomenculatores, stratores, praecones, draconarii, and chartularii. The sum total of the salaries paid to the staff amounted to 6575 gold solidi (a little over £4000), which had to be raised, like the praefect's salary, by the dioecesis. Subordinate to the praefect were seven governors, three of whom had the rank of a consularis and four that of a praeses. It seems that the former — the text is not quite clear — were the governors of the old provincia proconsularis (Zeugitana, Carthage), of Byzacena and of Tripolis, whilst the latter, who were of inferior rank, appear to have governed Sardinia, Numidia, and the two Mauretanias (Sitifensis and Caesariensis); a staff of 50 clerks was attached to each of them.

For the protection of the dioecesis, after peace had eventually been so completely restored that the conquering army and the moveable field-army of the comitatenses could be withdrawn, a frontier-army was to be newly enrolled, garrisoned, and settled, and to be entrusted to the military commanders of the separate frontier-provinces (limites). These were under the duces of Tripolitana (in Leptis Magna), of Byzacena (in Capsa or Thelepte, the command of which was afterwards shared with a second dux at Hadrumetum), of Numidia (in Constantina), of Mauretania (in Caesarea), and of Sardinia. Whilst these duces were to take up a temporary residence in the capitals until the reoccupation of the old frontiers should be complete, a few of the larger forts along the frontier were given into the charge of tribunes. One of these, who was subordinate to the dux of Mauretania, was also stationed at Septum to watch the Straits of Gibraltar and to command the battleships there. Each of these duces had, besides an assessor, a staff of 40 clerks with a number of gentlemen-at-arms, the latter of whom he paid out of his own sufficiently high stipend, handed over to him by the praefect. The duces, viri spectabiles, i.e. officials of the second class, were subordinate in military rank to the commanding magister militum of the moment. It is true that this arrangement was quite provisional, for the limites were not to be definitely adjusted till the old frontiers had been won back by the Roman arms.

In Italy Justinian's division of provinces can hardly have differed essentially from the old Roman one, which had been accepted by the Ostrogoths. The jurisdiction of the praefect was curtailed not only by the separation of Sardinia and Corsica and by the loss of the two Rhaetias on the northern frontier, but furthermore by the enactment of Justinian, which put Sicily under a special praetor of the second class, from whom an appeal passed directly to the quaestor of the court at Constantinople. It is doubtful whether the intermediate court of the two vicarii (Italiae and urbis Romae) was maintained under the praefect.