Medieval Sourcebook:
Letters of Theodoric [r.493-526]
These letters were written for
Theodoric, the most Romanized of Germanic kings, by his
secretary Cassiodorus. Theodoric strove to preserve the
civilization he knew well, for he had grown up as a younh
hostage in Constantinople.
King Theodoric to Maximian, Vir
Illustris; and Andreas, Vir Spectabilis
If the people of Rome will beautify their
city we will help them.
Institute a strict audit (of which no one
need be ashamed) of the money given by us to the different
workmen for the beautification of the City. See that we are
receiving money's worth for the money spent. If there is
embezzlement anywhere, cause the funds so embezzled to be
disgorged. We expect the Romans to help from their own resources
in this patriotic work, and certainly not to intercept our
contributions for the purpose.
The wandering birds love theirown nests;
the beasts haste to their own lodgings in the brake; the
voluptuous fish, roaming the fields of ocean, returns to its own
well-known cavern. How much more should Rome be loved by her
children!
***
King Theodoric to Faustus,
Praepositus
It should be only the surplus of the
crops of any Province, beyond what is needed for the supply of
its own wants, that should be exported. Station persons in the
harbours to see that foreign ships do not take away produce to
foreign shores until the Public Providers have got all that they
require.
***
King Theodoric to Suna, Vir
Illustris and Comes
Let nothing lie useless which may rebound
to the beauty of the City. Let your illustrious Magnificence
therefore cause the blocks of marble which are everywhere lying
about in ruins to be wrought up into the walls by the hands of
the workmen whom I send herewith. Only take care to use only
those stones which have really fallen from pubic buildings, as
we do not wish to appropriate private property, even for the
glorification of the City.
***
King Theodoric to the Senate of
the City of Rome
We hear with sorrow, by the report of the
Provincial judges, that you the Fathers of the State, who ought
to set an example to your sons (the ordinary citizens), have
been so remiss in the payment of taxes that on this first
collection nothing, or next to nothing, has been brought in from
any Senatorial house. Thus a crushing weight has fallen on the
lower orders, who have had to make good your deficiencies and
have been distraught by the violence of the tax gatherers.
Now then, oh Conscript Fathers, who owe
as much duty to the Republic as we do, pay the taxes for which
each of you is liable, to the Procurators appointed in each
Province, by three installments. Or, if you prefer to do so-and
it used to be accounted a privilege pay all at once into the
chest of the Vicarius. And let this following edict be
published, that all the Provincials may know that they are not
to be imposed upon and that they are invited to state their
grievances.
***
King Theodoric to Colossaeus,
Vir Illustris and Comes
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, 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.
*** King Theodoric to Unigis, the
Sword-Bearer
We delight to live after the law of the
Romans, whom we seek to defend with our arms; and we are as much
interested in the maintenance of morality as we can possibly be
in war. For what profit is there in having removed the turmoil
of the Barbarians, unless we live according to law? ... Let
other kings desire the glory of battles won, of cities taken, of
ruins made; our purpose is, God helping us, so to rule that our
subjects should grieve that they did not earlier acquire the
blessings of our domain
*** King Theodoric to All the Jews of
Genoa
...We cannot command the religion of our
subjects, since no-one can be forced to believe against his
will.
From Letters of Cassiodorus,
Thomas Hodgkin, trans. (London: H. Frowde, 1886), pp.156-219.
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(c)Paul Halsall Feb 1996
halsall@murray.fordham.edu
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