Letter 50062: Your Clemency has done what I asked: you have shown mercy to the defeated supporters of Eugenius.

From: Ambrose, Bishop of Milan To: Emperor Theodosius Date: ~394 AD Context: A further letter to Theodosius following up on the post-Frigidus clemency, in which Ambrose praises the emperor's decision to show mercy to the defeated and reflects on the meaning of Christian rulership. Ambrose to the Emperor Theodosius. Your Clemency has done what I asked: you have shown mercy to the defeated supporters of Eugenius. For this, all Italy gives thanks — and more importantly, God gives thanks, for mercy is the virtue most like himself. I have heard that you spared even those who fought against you willingly, requiring only that they return to the Catholic faith. This is wisdom as well as mercy. Dead enemies cannot become loyal subjects; pardoned ones can. Augustus [the first Roman emperor, who ended the civil wars of the Republic by a policy of calculated clemency] understood this, and you understand it better, because your clemency flows not from political calculation but from Christian conviction. I commend your piety and urge you to continue as you have begun. The empire you have reunited will hold together only if it is governed by justice and bound by faith. Military victory is temporary; the peace that follows must be built on deeper foundations. One further request: the churches in Gaul and Italy that suffered under Eugenius's patronage of the pagan cause need restoration. Not extravagant rebuilding — the Church is not in the construction business — but the return of confiscated properties and the reassurance of congregations that were intimidated by Eugenius's pagan allies. Attend to this, most faithful Emperor, and your victory will bear fruit not only in the present but for generations to come. I remain your servant in Christ, and I look forward to welcoming you at the altar — where you belong. Farewell.

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