84 The Imperial Government
twoimperialfreedmenaccensi(attendants)‘‘delated’’:Antemus‘‘freedmanof
TiberiusCaesarAugustusinchargeoftheaccounts,attendant,registeredby
Augustus’’(Ti. Caesaris Aug. l(iberto) a rationi[b.], accenso delat(o) ab Aug.),^90 and
Eutactus‘‘freedmanofAugustus,procurator,attendant,registeredbythedi-
vineVespasian’’(Aug. lib. proc., accenso delat(o) a divoVespasiano).^91 Heretoothe
delatiowillhavebeenamarkofspecialfavour.
The majority of these instances showdelatioby consuls or emperors in
Rome. But one refers to a proconsul of Asia, and continued payments by
theAerariumforprovincialofficialsareattestedbyModestinus,writingin
thefirsthalfofthethirdcentury,whorefersto‘‘militarytribunes,prefects,
companions[comites]ofthelegateswhoareregisteredattheAerariumorin
thecommentarii[records]oftheprinceps.’’^92 Thisevidenceisthemorevalu-
ablebecauseitreferstoofficialsinimperialprovinces.Theresponsibilityof
theAerariumforpayingthequaestor’sscribes(scribae)inapublicprovince
isattestedinPliny’sletters.^93
IntheRepublicaprovincialgovernorhadtopresenthisaccounts(rationes)
tothequaestorsoftheAerariumonhisreturn.Therewererecurrentconflicts
overwhatexactlyhadtoberecorded,buttheactualpresentationofaccounts
iswellattested.^94 AlawofJuliusCaesarlaiddownastricterprocedure;Cicero
reportsfromCiliciathatinaccordancewithithehasleftcopiesof hisac-
countsattwocitiesintheprovinceandhassentathirdtotheAerarium.^95
Theonlyreferencetothisprocedurefromtheimperialperiodcomesfroma
passageofPaulusintheDigest:‘‘[noactionliesagainsthim]who,onleaving
hisprovince,retainsthemoneywhichwasinhispossessionafterreporting
totheAerarium.’’^96 Theremayhavebeenadistinctionbetweenproconsuls
andimperiallegatesinthismatter,butthereisnohintofithere.
It is the essential point in the understanding of what the Aerarium was
(orratherwasnot)thatthepurposeoftheseaccountswasessentiallyretro-
spective;theirfunctionwastoprovideacheckontheindividualgovernors.
ThereisnottheslightestevidencetosuggestthattheAerariumofficialsever
puttheseaccountstogetherormadeupgeneralaccountsofthestate.That
wasdoneforthefirsttimebyAugustus,andindoingsohewasnotredupli-
catinganyfunctionperformedbypublicofficials.DioandSuetoniusrecord
90.CILVI8409.
91.CILVI1962ILS1943.
92.Dig.4,6,32.- Pliny,Ep.4,12,2–4.Seebelow.
- E.g.,AulusGellius,NA4,18,7–12;Verr.II.1,36–37;57.
95.Fam.5,20,2;Att.6,7,2;In Pis.61.
96.Dig.48,13,11,6.