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The Letters of Cassiodorus

Senator Cassiodorus

'No Powers of any kind, be they Praetorian Praefects or what they may, shall be permitted to trample on the lowly.' 21. KING THEODORIC TO FAUSTUS, VIR ILLUSTRIS. [Sidenote: Disgrace and temporary exile of Faustus.] 'As all men require change, Faustus is allowed to absent himself from the sacred walls of Rome for four months, which he may spend at his own Penates. The King expects, however, that he will then return to the most famous (opinatissima) City, from which no Roman Senator can long be absent without grief.' [Coupling this letter with its immediate predecessor it is difficult not to believe that Faustus is sent away in disgrace--notwithstanding the smooth words here used--for the act of injustice therein mentioned. But why is he only addressed as Vir Illustris, and not also as Praefectus? Perhaps his term of office was expired; perhaps he was even dismissed from it.] 22. KING THEODORIC TO ARTEMIDORUS, VIR ILLUSTRIS. [Sidenote: An earnest invitation to the King's friend, Artemidorus.] 'We hereby [by these oracles] invite your Greatness to behold us, which we know will be most agreeable to you, in order that you who have now spent a large portion of your life with us may be satisfied by the sweetness of our presence. He who is permitted to share our converse deems it a Divine boon. We believe that you will come gladly, as we shall entertain you with alacrity.' [Cf. Dahn iii. 283-4. The ending of the letter (Venire te gaudentem credimus, quem alacriter sustinemus) is the common form, and 'sustineo' is a technical word for the King's reception of his subjects: see iii. 28, ad finem.] 23. KING THEODORIC TO COLOSSAEUS, VIR ILLUSTRIS AND COMES (CIR. A.D. 505). [Sidenote: Appointment of Colossaeus as Governor of Pannonia.] 'We delight to entrust our mandates to persons of approved character. 'We are sending you "with the dignity of the illustrious belt" to Pannonia Sirmiensis, an old habitation of the Goths. Let that Province be induced to welcome her old defenders, even as she used gladly to obey our ancestors. Show forth the justice of the Goths, a nation happily situated for praise, since it is theirs to unite the forethought of the Romans and the virtue of the Barbarians. Remove all ill-planted customs[291], and impress upon all your subordinates that we would rather that our Treasury lost a suit than that it gained one wrongfully, rather that we lost money than the taxpayer was driven to suicide.' [Footnote 291: 'Consuetudines abominanter inolitas.' Fornerius thinks this means 'all extortionate taxes.' Compare the English use of the word 'customs.'] [Cf. Muchar, 'Geschichte der Steiermark' iv. 131.] 24. KING THEODORIC TO ALL THE BARBARIANS AND ROMANS SETTLED IN PANNONIA. [Cf. Muchar, iv. 132.] [Sidenote: To the Pannonians, on the appointment of Colossaeus.] 'Intent on the welfare of our subjects we are sending you Colossaeus for Governor. His name means a mighty man; and a mighty man he is, who has given many proofs of his virtue. Now we exhort you with patience and constancy to submit yourselves to his authority. Do not excite that wrath before which our enemies tremble. Acquiesce in the rule of justice in which the whole world rejoices. Why should you, who have now an upright Judge[292], settle your grievances by single combat? What has man got a tongue for, if the armed hand is to settle all differences? or where can peace be looked for, if there is fighting in a civilised State like ours[293]? Imitate then our Goths, who have learned to practise war abroad, to show peaceable dispositions at home. We want you so to live as you see that our subjects (parentes) have lived and flourished under the Divine blessing.' [Footnote 292: 'Cur ad monomachiam recurritis, qui venalem judicem non habetis?'] [Footnote 293: 'Aut unde pax quaeritur si sub civilitate pugnetur.'] 25. KING THEODORIC TO SIMEON, VIR ILLUSTRIS AND COMES. [Sidenote: Tax-collecting and iron-mining in Dalmatia.] 'We entrust to you the duty of collecting throughout the Province of Dalmatia the arrears of Siliquaticum for the first, second, and third Indictions [Sept. 1, 506, to Aug. 31, 509]. We do this not only for the sake of gain to our Treasury, but to prevent the demoralisation of our subjects. 'Also by careful mining (cuniculo veritatis) seek out the iron veins in Dalmatia, where the softness of earth is pregnant with the rigour of iron, which is cooked by fire that it may become hard. 'Iron enables us to defend our country, is serviceable for agriculture and for countless arts of human life: yea, iron is master of gold, compelling the rich man, weaponless, to obey the poor man who wields a blade of steel.' 26. KING THEODORIC TO OSUN, VIR ILLUSTRIS AND COUNT. [Sidenote: Simeon's journey to Dalmatia.] Commands him to provide all the necessaries for the journey of 'Clarissimus' Simeon, setting off for Dalmatia on the aforesaid mission to collect Siliquaticum and develop the iron mines. [Why is Simeon not called Illustris, as in the previous letter? This seems to show that the titles 'Clarissimus' and 'Illustris' were not always used with technical exactness, as they would have been under Diocletian.] 27. KING THEODORIC TO JOANNES, SENATOR, CONSULAR OF CAMPANIA. [Sidenote: Promises protection against the Praetorian Praefect.] 'You have not complained to us in vain that the Praetorian Praefect [perhaps again Faustus] is venting a private grudge against you under colour of the discharge of his public duty. We will wall you round with our protection. Go now and discharge the duties of Consular of Campania with the like devotion as your predecessors, and with this reflection: "If the King prevents my superior the Praetorian Praefect from doing me harm, with what unfailing rigour will he visit me if I do wrong."' 28. KING THEODORIC TO CASSIODORUS, VIR ILLUSTRIS AND PATRICIAN[294]. [Footnote 294: Father of the writer.] [Sidenote: An invitation to Cassiodorus Senior to come to Court.] 'For your glorious services, and your incorruptible administration, which has given deep peace to the nation, we reward you by summoning you to Court. 'Having endeavoured to check _another_ [probably alluding to the disgrace of Faustus], we have bestowed our praises on you, as all the Palace knows. Come then, come eagerly, as he should do whom his Sovereign is going to entertain[295].' [Footnote 295: There is an obscure sentence in this letter: 'Hinc omnibus factus notior, quia multi te positum in potestate nesciunt.' Possibly the meaning is that the elder Cassiodorus used his power so little for his own private aggrandisement, that many people did not even know that he possessed it.] 29. KING THEODORIC TO ARGOLICUS, ILLUSTRIS AND PRAEFECT OF THE CITY. [Sidenote: Permission to Paulinus to repair certain granaries at Rome.] 'The King should sow his gifts broadcast, as the sower his seeds--not put them all into one hole. 'The Patrician Paulinus represents to us that such and such granaries are falling into ruin and are of no use to anyone, and asks to be allowed to repair them and transmit them to his heirs. We consent to this, if you are of opinion that they are not wanted for the public, and if there is no corn in them belonging to our Treasury. 'It is especially fitting that all ruined buildings should be repaired in Rome. In Rome, praised beyond all other cities by the world's mouth, there should be nothing sordid or mediocre[296].' [Footnote 296: This letter is well illustrated by an inscription of the time of Severus Alexander, found at Great Chesters in Northumberland, and recording the repair of 'horreum vetustate conlabsum.' The words of Cassiodorus are 'horrea longi temporis vetustate destructa.'] 30. KING THEODORIC TO ARGOLICUS, ILLUSTRIS AND PRAEFECTUS URBIS. [Sidenote: Repair of the Cloacae of Rome.] 'We are ever vigilant for the repair and beautification of Rome. 'Let your Sublimity know that we have directed John to repair the Cloacae of the City, those splendid works which strike astonishment into the hearts of all beholders. There you see rivers as it were shut in by concave mountains, flowing down through mighty rafters[297] (?). There you see men steering their ships with the utmost possible care, lest they should suffer shipwreck. Hence may the greatness of Rome be inferred. What other city can compare with her in her heights when even her depths are so incomparable? [Footnote 297: 'Per ingentia ligna decurrere.' Fornerius proposes to read 'stagna.'] 'See therefore, O Praefect, that John as a public officer receives his proper salary.' 31. KING THEODORIC TO THE SENATE OF THE CITY OF ROME. [Sidenote: Commission issued to John to check ruin of aqueducts and temples in Rome.] 'Our care is for the whole Republic, "in which, by the favour of God, we are striving to bring back all things to their former state;" but especially for the City of Rome. We hear that great depredations are being committed on public property there. '(1) It is said that the water of the aqueducts (formae) is being diverted to turn mills and water gardens--a thing which would not be suffered even in the country districts. Even in redressing this wrong we must be observant of law; and therefore if it should be found that those who are doing this can plead thirty years' prescription, they must be bought off, but the misuser must cease. If the diversion is of less ancient date[298], it must of course be at once stopped without compensation. [Footnote 298: 'Si vero aliquid moderna praesumptione tentatum est.' (Again 'modernus.')] '(2) Slaves assigned by the forethought of previous rulers to the service of the formae have passed under the sway of private masters. '(3) Great weights of brass and lead (the latter very easy to steal, from its softness) have been stripped off from the public buildings. Now Ionos, King of Thessaly, is said to have first discovered lead, and Midas, King of Phrygia, brass. How grievous that we should be handed down to posterity as neglecting two metals which they were immortalised by discovering! '(4) Temples and other public buildings, which at the request of many we have repaired, are handed over without a thought to spoliation and ruin. 'We have appointed the Spectabilis John to enquire into and set straight all these matters. _You_ ought to have brought the matter before us yourselves: at least, now, support him with the necessary "solatia."' [See preceding letter as to the commission entrusted to John, Theodoric's Clerk of the Works in Rome.] 32. KING THEODORIC TO GEMELLUS, SENATOR. A.D. 511. [Appointed Governor of the Gaulish Province in Letter iii. 16.] [Sidenote: Remission of taxes to citizens of Arles.] 'The men of Arles, who were reduced to penury in the glorious siege which they endured on our behalf, are freed from the obligation of taxes for the fourth Indiction [Sept. 1, 510, to Aug. 31, 511]. We ask for these payments from men at peace, not from men besieged. How can one claim taxes from the lord of a field when one knows he has not been able to cultivate it? They have already rendered a most precious tribute in their fidelity to us. After this year, however, the taxes will be collected as usual.' 33. KING THEODORIC TO ARGOLICUS, ILLUSTRIS, PRAEFECT OF THE CITY. [Sidenote: Promotion of Armentarius and Superbus to post of Referendi Curiae.] Armentarius (Clarissimus) and his son Superbus are to receive the privilege of _Referendi Curiae_[299]. Thus will the profession of the law be, as is most fitting, adorned with the honours of the Senate. [Footnote 299: Possibly Referendi is the same as Referendarii. See Var. vi. 17.]