Letter 11036: The man who devised laborious duties and offices of great diligence also reasonably established fixed terms for them...

The man who devised laborious duties and offices of great diligence also reasonably established fixed terms for them — so that what was positioned as a reward at the end of one's career would not remain forever uncertain. Otherwise, who could endure serving and waiting indefinitely, when even life's light withdraws from mortals? For this reason, under an uncertain life the terms of service are certain, and the man who has reached his designated time without fault has nothing to fear. The very stars, as the astronomers tell us, though they revolve in ceaseless repetition, keep to the fixed courses assigned to them. What is enclosed within its own boundary cannot be uncertain. Saturn traverses the spaces of heaven allotted to it in thirty years. Jupiter's star illuminates its assigned region in twelve years. The planet Mars, swept along with fiery speed, races through its appointed course in eighteen months. The Sun flies past the signs of the zodiac in the space of a year. Venus traverses its granted stretch in fifteen months. Mercury, girt with speed, passes through its set intervals in thirteen months. The Moon, closest to us in particular nearness, completes in thirty days what the golden Sun accomplishes in the circuit of a year. Rightly, then, mortals find an end to their labors — since, as the philosophers say, even those things which can only cease to exist when the world itself does have reasonably received the limits of their courses. The only difference is this: the stars finish their work only to begin again, while the human race serves in order to rest after its labors are complete. Therefore, to the man who has blamelessly completed the office of cornicularius [chief administrative clerk], pay without delay the seven hundred solidi which long-standing custom has allocated to him — from the province of Samnium, from the third installment of the [named] indiction. The man whom a judge's truthful commendation recommends need not doubt his reward. He presided over the "horns" of the praetorian secretariat [cornicularius derives from cornu, "horn," referring to the wings of the tribunal] — and proved himself through praiseworthy conduct. While he served, I wrote judgments that could not be bought — judgments that others had hoped to obtain at great price. I showed favor to those the law supported; I denied those to whom justice made no promise. No one left unhappy with his victory, because he prevailed with his fortune intact — since to win, he did not have to pay. You know everything I am saying, for my proceedings were not conducted in my private chambers: what I did, the entire court staff witnessed. I was, to be sure, powerless to do harm but empowered to do good — a judge in the strictest sense. My severity was expressed in words; my kindness was felt in deeds. I showed anger while remaining at peace; I issued threats while remaining harmless. I appeared to inspire fear precisely so that I would never have to inflict actual harm. You have, as you used to say, a most upright judge. I will leave you as my most reliable witnesses.

XXXVI. ANATOLICO CANCELLARIO PROVINCIAE SAMNII SENATOR PPO. [1] Qui laboriosas excubias et officia magnae sedulitatis invenit, rationabiliter et temporis definita constituit, ut quod erat sub vitae termino positum praemium, non haberet incertum. alioquin quis sufficere semper et expectare posset, cum se mortalibus lux ipsa subduceret? qua de re sub incerta vita certa militia est nec habet quod possit metuere, qui ad designatum tempus inoffense meruit pervenire. [2] Astra ipsa, ut astronomi volunt, licet assidua repetitione volvantur, cursus sui definita custodiunt. nequit esse ambiguum, quod fine proprio tenetur inclusum. Saturnus annis triginta constituta sibi caeli spatia pervagatur. stella Iovis duodecim annis attributam sibi regionem illustrat. Martis sidus ignea celeritate raptatum decem et octo mensibus deputata sibi discurrit. sol anni spatio zodiaci circuli signa praetervolat. astrum Veneris mensibus quindecim spatia concessa transcendit. Mercurius velocitate succinctus tredecim mensibus proposita sibi intervalla praetervehit. Luna peculiari nobis vicinitate proximior triginta diebus peragit, quod anni spatio sol aureus circumactus impleverit. [3] Merito ergo laboris finem mortales inveniunt, quando, ut philosophi dicunt, et ipsa, quae deficere nequeunt nisi cum mundo, cursus sui terminos rationabiliter acceperunt, hac tamen interveniente distantia, quod illa opus suum finiunt, ut ad principium redeant, humanum genus ideo militat, ut peractis sudoribus conquiescat. [4] Et ideo illi, qui inculpabiliter cornicularii est perfunctus officio, septingentos solidos, quos ei longaeva consuetudo deputavit, per illam indictionem de Samnii provincia ex illatione tertia sine ambiguitate contrade: quia non potest dubitare de praemio, quem vera iudicis commendat assertio. praefuit enim cornibus secretarii praetoriani, unde ei nomen est derivatum, laudatis actionibus comprobatus: eo ministrante caliculum scripsimus inempti, quod magnis pretiis optabatur impleri: gratificati sumus, cui leges faverunt: negavimus, cui iustitia non promisit. [5] Nemo tristis extitit de victoria sua, quia salvis facultatibus obtinuit, quando ut fieret superior, non redemit. nostis omne quod loquimur: neque enim in cubiculis nostris secretaria vestra peracta sunt: quod egimus, cohortes noverunt. fuimus nimirum ad nocendum privati, ad praestandum iudices. districtio nostra in verbis est habita et in factis sensa benignitas. irascebamur placati, minabamur innoxii et ne potuissemus laedere, terrorem videbamur inferre. habetis, ut solebatis dicere, castissimum iudicem: relinquam vos integerrimos testes.