Letter 15

From: Braulio of Zaragoza, bishop To: Reccesuinth, Prince (later King) of the Visigoths Date: ~645 AD Context: Braulio follows up with the prince on the question of kingship and justice, offering more practical counsel as Reccesuinth takes on greater responsibilities. To the most noble Prince Reccesuinth, greetings in Christ, Your last letter showed a maturity of thinking that encouraged me greatly. You asked the right question: not "how do I appear just?" but "how do I actually know when I am being just?" This is the harder question and the more important one. The honest answer is that you often will not know, not immediately. The information that reaches a king is filtered through many hands, each of which has its own interest in shaping what you hear. What you can do is build habits of mind and structures of accountability that make it less likely that you will be systematically deceived. Ask the people who will tell you what you do not want to hear. Seek out the counsel of those who have nothing to gain from flattering you. Make it known that honesty is valued more than comfort. The bishops of your kingdom — and I include myself here — are not always going to tell you what you want to hear. When we write to advise you or to complain about something, I ask you to receive it as the counsel of men who care about the kingdom, even when the specific complaint is inconvenient. The alternative — a court of advisors who only tell the king what pleases him — is the path to catastrophe. I am aware that I am lecturing you. Your father would have told me to stop. I ask your indulgence. Braulio