Ut nomen imperatoris instrumentis et actis praeponatur.
That the emperor’s name shall be contained in documents and public records.
________________________________________
The most important document or record or any other memorial made by man is that which is graced by the mention of the empire. The mention of consuls, indictions, and any other designation of time among us are methods suitable, no doubt, to identify what is intended, nor do we wish to abolish any of them, but make an addition thereto, so that the course of time may be designated in a better and more perfect manner. If anyone looks back to the most ancient times and to the antiquity of the republic, Aeneas, the Trojan king, founded the republic, and from him we are called Aeneads; should anyone consider our second beginning as a result of which the Roman name appeared among men in splendour, kings Romulus and Numa made it, the former of whom founded the city of Rome, the latter regulated it and gave it laws; should anyone search for our third beginning, he will find the great Caesar, and the holy Augustus, and hence our republic which now flourishes – and may it be immortal – and which was founded by them. Hence, it is absurd that the name of the emperor should not be put first in documents, court records and other memorials of men.
1) We therefore ordain that keepers of records among our subjects, either in court or wherever documents are registered, and other persons who draw up documents in any form, whether in this great city or in the provinces which God has given us to govern, shall begin documents in substantially the following manner: “In the number year of the reign of Monarch”; he shall secondly put the name of the consuls of that year; he shall thirdly mention the indiction, and follow that with the month and the day. In that manner, the time will be indicated in every respect, and the mention of the emperor and consuls and the other formalities inserted in the documents, will generally prevent forgeries thereof.
2) But if among the people of the Orient or others there is a custom of noting the year of the city, we are not averse to that being done, but the name of the emperor shall be given first, followed, as has been stated, by the name of the consul, the indiction, the month and the day during which the documents are made and written, and this may be followed by the year of the city. For we do not forbid anything which was accustomed to be done before, but simply make an addition of the imperial name.
3) We make this further addition: since obscure and antiquated signs may be used in courts in order to denote the time, we order that after these ancient signs others shall be written which are clear and commonly used by all, which can easily be read by all and which denote the time of the proceeding, so that those who want to know the time may not be left in ignorance till he finds someone who really understands these signs.
Given 31 August 537.