Cassiodorus→Senate of City of Rome|c. 522 AD|Cassiodorus|AI-assisted
friendship
King Theodahad to the Senate of the City of Rome.
[1] After we had sent back the venerable men, the bishops, once their embassy had been heard, and our mind had not opposed your petitions, although certain of them were blameworthy, certain persons coming to us reported that the Roman state still labors under a foolish anxiety, and acts in such a way that, were it not for the concern of our clemency, it would stir up for itself dangers that are certain out of doubtful suspicions. From this, judge to whom the empty fickleness of the populace ought to be charged, if not to your order, by which all things ought to have been set in order. [2] For through your wisdom all the provinces ought to have been admonished, so that they might approve of undertaking such things as would seem to adorn the beginnings of a prince. But what city would not be made excusable, if Rome should go astray? The lesser thing runs to the example of the greater, and by the law of another's deed it bears the odium, that which furnishes an example for sins. But we render thanks to the divine power, which has rather adorned its own gifts by your excesses. [3] Behold, we pardon faults before we perceive any acts of devotion. We owe nothing, and yet we pay: we are beneficent beforehand, that afterward we may be able to find you most grateful. But although in this matter the gravity of our moderation is asserted, we nevertheless do not wish ourselves alone to be proclaimed, except that the kindness of Roman devotion may also be displayed. For we are fed more by your good opinion than if we were always praised for our own tranquillity. [4] Remove from your order suspicions that are ever foreign to it. It is not fitting that the Senate be corrected, which ought to govern others with fatherly exhortation. For from whom shall morals draw their character, if the public parents should chance to be found inferior? Let this suffice for the noble, let this suffice for the modest, that we are spurring on to the pursuit of perfect devotion those whom we have blamed a little for wrongful suspicion. For as to our having sought your presence, we treated this not as the injury of vexation, but with deep deliberation considered the grounds of your own advantage, so that you ought all the more to have done that which we knew to be expedient for you. [5] Surely it is a gift to behold the prince. This we wish to be done by you for the advantage of the commonwealth, which used to be sought after by means of rewards. But lest the very remedies should in any part seem harsh, when the matter shall demand it we direct that certain men be summoned to us, so that neither may Rome be stripped of its citizens, nor may our counsels lack the aid of prudent men. [6] Return, therefore, to your former devotion, and let the cares which I bear on behalf of the general welfare be aided rather by your own ingenuity, because it has always been implanted in you to offer to your princes the vow of purity, and not to obey out of the necessity of terror, but rather out of love of him who rules. The remaining things to be said by word of mouth we have entrusted to the bearer of this letter, so that, with ambiguous thoughts set aside, you ought to give credence to our admonitions.
XIII.
SENATUI URBIS ROMAE THEODAHADUS REX.
[1] Postquam venerabiles viros episcopos agnita legatione remisimus nec petitionibus vestris, quamvis essent quaedam reprehensibilia, noster animus obviasset, venientes ad nos aliqui retulerunt civitatem Romanam adhuc inepta sollicitudine laborare et id agere, ut, nisi nostrae mansuetudinis interesset, pericula sibi potius certa ex dubiis suspicionibus concitaret. unde aestimate, cui debeat populorum inanis levitas imputari nisi vestro ordini, a quo decuerant cuncta componi. [2] Per vestram siquidem sapientiam ammoneri provincias oportuit universas, ut talia probarentur assumere, quae principis primordia viderentur ornare. verum quae civitas non fiat excusabilis, si Roma deliquerit? res minor ad potioris currit exemplum et alieni facti iure invidiam sustinet, quae peccatis praestat exemplum. sed gratias divinitati referimus, quae dona sua vestris potius ornavit excessibus. [3] Ecce prius culpas ignoscimus quam devotiones aliquas sentiamus. nil debemus et solvimus: ante benefici sumus, ut postea gratissimos invenire possimus. sed licet in hac parte nostrae modestiae gravitas asseratur, nolumus tamen nos tantum praedicari, nisi ut et devotionis Romanae benignitas possit ostendi. plus enim vestra opinione pascimur, quam si de nostra semper tranquillitate laudemur. [4] Amovete suspiciones ab ordine vestro semper extraneas. non decet senatum corrigi, qui debet alios paterna exhortatione moderari. nam ex quibus habebunt genium mores, si parentes publicos minores contigerit inveniri? sufficiunt haec nobilibus, sufficiunt ista verecundis, ut ad studium perfectae devotionis incitemus quos paululum de prava suspicione culpavimus. nos enim quod praesentiam vestram expetivimus, non vexationis iniuriam, sed utilitatis vestrae causas profunda cogitatione tractavimus, ut illud magis debuissetis efficere, quod vobis cognovimus expedire. [5] Certe munus est videre principem. hoc a vobis pro rei publicae utilitate volumus fieri, quod praemiis solebat optari. sed ne ipsa remedia in aliqua parte viderentur austera, cum res poposcerit aliquos ad nos praecipimus evocari, ut nec Roma suis civibus enudetur et nostra consilia viris prudentibus adiuventur. [6] Redite ergo in pristinam devotionem, et sollicitudines meae, quas pro generalitate sustineo, vestro potius adiuventur ingenio, quia hoc vobis semper insitum fuit principibus vestris votum puritatis offerre nec parere necessitate terroris, sed potius amore dominantis. reliqua per harum portitorem illum verbo dicenda commisimus, ut summotis cogitationibus ambiguis nostris ammonitionibus credere debeatis.
◆
King Theodahad to the Senate of the City of Rome.
[1] After we had sent back the venerable men, the bishops, once their embassy had been heard, and our mind had not opposed your petitions, although certain of them were blameworthy, certain persons coming to us reported that the Roman state still labors under a foolish anxiety, and acts in such a way that, were it not for the concern of our clemency, it would stir up for itself dangers that are certain out of doubtful suspicions. From this, judge to whom the empty fickleness of the populace ought to be charged, if not to your order, by which all things ought to have been set in order. [2] For through your wisdom all the provinces ought to have been admonished, so that they might approve of undertaking such things as would seem to adorn the beginnings of a prince. But what city would not be made excusable, if Rome should go astray? The lesser thing runs to the example of the greater, and by the law of another's deed it bears the odium, that which furnishes an example for sins. But we render thanks to the divine power, which has rather adorned its own gifts by your excesses. [3] Behold, we pardon faults before we perceive any acts of devotion. We owe nothing, and yet we pay: we are beneficent beforehand, that afterward we may be able to find you most grateful. But although in this matter the gravity of our moderation is asserted, we nevertheless do not wish ourselves alone to be proclaimed, except that the kindness of Roman devotion may also be displayed. For we are fed more by your good opinion than if we were always praised for our own tranquillity. [4] Remove from your order suspicions that are ever foreign to it. It is not fitting that the Senate be corrected, which ought to govern others with fatherly exhortation. For from whom shall morals draw their character, if the public parents should chance to be found inferior? Let this suffice for the noble, let this suffice for the modest, that we are spurring on to the pursuit of perfect devotion those whom we have blamed a little for wrongful suspicion. For as to our having sought your presence, we treated this not as the injury of vexation, but with deep deliberation considered the grounds of your own advantage, so that you ought all the more to have done that which we knew to be expedient for you. [5] Surely it is a gift to behold the prince. This we wish to be done by you for the advantage of the commonwealth, which used to be sought after by means of rewards. But lest the very remedies should in any part seem harsh, when the matter shall demand it we direct that certain men be summoned to us, so that neither may Rome be stripped of its citizens, nor may our counsels lack the aid of prudent men. [6] Return, therefore, to your former devotion, and let the cares which I bear on behalf of the general welfare be aided rather by your own ingenuity, because it has always been implanted in you to offer to your princes the vow of purity, and not to obey out of the necessity of terror, but rather out of love of him who rules. The remaining things to be said by word of mouth we have entrusted to the bearer of this letter, so that, with ambiguous thoughts set aside, you ought to give credence to our admonitions.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
XIII. SENATUI URBIS ROMAE THEODAHADUS REX.
[1] Postquam venerabiles viros episcopos agnita legatione remisimus nec petitionibus vestris, quamvis essent quaedam reprehensibilia, noster animus obviasset, venientes ad nos aliqui retulerunt civitatem Romanam adhuc inepta sollicitudine laborare et id agere, ut, nisi nostrae mansuetudinis interesset, pericula sibi potius certa ex dubiis suspicionibus concitaret. unde aestimate, cui debeat populorum inanis levitas imputari nisi vestro ordini, a quo decuerant cuncta componi. [2] Per vestram siquidem sapientiam ammoneri provincias oportuit universas, ut talia probarentur assumere, quae principis primordia viderentur ornare. verum quae civitas non fiat excusabilis, si Roma deliquerit? res minor ad potioris currit exemplum et alieni facti iure invidiam sustinet, quae peccatis praestat exemplum. sed gratias divinitati referimus, quae dona sua vestris potius ornavit excessibus. [3] Ecce prius culpas ignoscimus quam devotiones aliquas sentiamus. nil debemus et solvimus: ante benefici sumus, ut postea gratissimos invenire possimus. sed licet in hac parte nostrae modestiae gravitas asseratur, nolumus tamen nos tantum praedicari, nisi ut et devotionis Romanae benignitas possit ostendi. plus enim vestra opinione pascimur, quam si de nostra semper tranquillitate laudemur. [4] Amovete suspiciones ab ordine vestro semper extraneas. non decet senatum corrigi, qui debet alios paterna exhortatione moderari. nam ex quibus habebunt genium mores, si parentes publicos minores contigerit inveniri? sufficiunt haec nobilibus, sufficiunt ista verecundis, ut ad studium perfectae devotionis incitemus quos paululum de prava suspicione culpavimus. nos enim quod praesentiam vestram expetivimus, non vexationis iniuriam, sed utilitatis vestrae causas profunda cogitatione tractavimus, ut illud magis debuissetis efficere, quod vobis cognovimus expedire. [5] Certe munus est videre principem. hoc a vobis pro rei publicae utilitate volumus fieri, quod praemiis solebat optari. sed ne ipsa remedia in aliqua parte viderentur austera, cum res poposcerit aliquos ad nos praecipimus evocari, ut nec Roma suis civibus enudetur et nostra consilia viris prudentibus adiuventur. [6] Redite ergo in pristinam devotionem, et sollicitudines meae, quas pro generalitate sustineo, vestro potius adiuventur ingenio, quia hoc vobis semper insitum fuit principibus vestris votum puritatis offerre nec parere necessitate terroris, sed potius amore dominantis. reliqua per harum portitorem illum verbo dicenda commisimus, ut summotis cogitationibus ambiguis nostris ammonitionibus credere debeatis.