Letter 88: Without address on the subject of the exaction of taxes. Your excellency knows better than any one else the difficulty of getting together the gold furnished by contribution. We have no better witness to our poverty than yourself, for with your great kindness you have felt for us, and, up to the present time, so far as has lain within your power...
Basil of Caesarea→Unknown|c. 362 AD|basil caesarea
property economics
Your Excellency knows better than anyone how hard it is to collect the tax in gold. And you're the best witness to how poor we are — you've seen it yourself. Out of genuine kindness, you've been patient with us so far, never letting pressure from higher up change your naturally reasonable approach.
We're still short on the full amount. The remainder has to come from the contribution we've asked the whole city to pay. What I'm asking for is a brief delay so we can send reminders out to people in the countryside — most of our local officials [magistrates: municipal leaders responsible for civic administration and tax collection] are out there right now.
If you can accept a partial payment — minus however many pounds we're still behind on — I'd be grateful. We'll send the rest later.
But if the full amount absolutely must come in all at once, then I'll repeat my first request: please give us more time.
ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA
Without address on the subject of the exaction of taxes.
Your excellency knows better than any one else the difficulty of getting together the gold furnished by contribution. We have no better witness to our poverty than yourself, for with your great kindness you have felt for us, and, up to the present time, so far as has lain within your power, have borne with us, never departing from your own natural forbearance from any alarm caused by superior authority. Now of the whole sum there is still something wanting, and that must be got in from the contribution which we have recommended to all the town. What I ask is, that you will grant us a little delay, that a reminder may be sent to dwellers in the country, and most of our magistrates are in the country. If it is possible for it to be sent in short of as many pounds as those in which we are still behind-hand, I should be glad if you would so arrange, and the amount shall be sent later. If, however, it is absolutely necessary that the whole sum should be sent in at once, then I repeat my first request that we may be allowed a longer time of grace.
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Source. Translated by Blomfield Jackson. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 8. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3202088.htm>.
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Your Excellency knows better than anyone how hard it is to collect the tax in gold. And you're the best witness to how poor we are — you've seen it yourself. Out of genuine kindness, you've been patient with us so far, never letting pressure from higher up change your naturally reasonable approach.
We're still short on the full amount. The remainder has to come from the contribution we've asked the whole city to pay. What I'm asking for is a brief delay so we can send reminders out to people in the countryside — most of our local officials [magistrates: municipal leaders responsible for civic administration and tax collection] are out there right now.
If you can accept a partial payment — minus however many pounds we're still behind on — I'd be grateful. We'll send the rest later.
But if the full amount absolutely must come in all at once, then I'll repeat my first request: please give us more time.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.