1With your usual diligence you remind me that the codicils of Acilianus, who made me heir to part of his estate, must be treated as unwritten, because they were not confirmed by his will; 2a point of law not unknown even to me, since it is known even to those who know nothing else. 2But I have laid down a certain law of my own for myself, to uphold the wishes of the dead as if they were complete, even if they were defective in law. 2And it is agreed that these codicils were written in Acilianus' own hand. 3So, although they were not confirmed by the will, they will be observed by me as if they had been confirmed, especially since there is no opening for an informer.
4For if there were reason to fear that the people might snatch away what I had given, I ought perhaps to be more hesitant and cautious; 4but since an heir is allowed to give away what has remained in the inheritance, there is nothing to stand in the way of that law of mine, which the public laws do not oppose. 4Farewell.