Cassiodorus→Argolicus, of City of Rome|c. 522 AD|Cassiodorus
education booksillnessimperial politics
VARIAE, BOOK 3, LETTER 11
From: King Theoderic, writing through Cassiodorus
To: Argolicus, Distinguished Prefect of the City of Rome
Date: ~507-511 AD
Context: Theoderic expresses his wish that every day be filled with acts of royal generosity, especially through public works.
[1] We wish every day to be filled with our benefactions. We wish our generosity to shine everywhere, because what a ruler gives in munificence lives forever. Buildings crumble, laws are forgotten, but the memory of a generous king outlasts them all — or rather, the buildings he raises and the laws he enacts endure precisely because they were given in a spirit of genuine care rather than mere display.
[2] And so we take particular pleasure in restoring what time has worn down and in adding what the city still lacks. Rome, which has everything, somehow always needs more — not because it is greedy, but because it is Rome, and the capital of the world must always be worthy of its name. Every cracked aqueduct repaired, every forum swept clean, every basilica restored is a declaration that civilization endures.
[3] We therefore commit to the projects outlined in the attached instructions and entrust their oversight to your capable hands. Let the work proceed with the quality and speed that the city deserves. Do not hesitate to bring any difficulties to our attention — we would rather solve problems early than admire ruins later.
XI. ARGOLICO V. I. PRAEFECTO URBIS THEODERICUS REX.
[1] Optamus cunctum diem plenum beneficiis nostris excurrere: optamus ubique praestita nostra radiare, quia in aevum vivit quod munificentia principalis indulserit. quid enim tam regium quam fecisse felicem et eo usque praestare, quo se erectus stupeat attigisse? beneficia siquidem sunt, quae regna sublimant et libertatis dominus iugiter potest crescere, si sibi subiectos studeat ampliare. hoc mansuetudinis nostrae glorioso proposito, quoniam generalitatem patrio fovemus affectu, per indictionem quartam praefecturae urbanae infulas tibi copiosa liberalitate largimur, ut paternis honoribus successio clara laetetur et sub nobis possit proficere quicquid meruit ad nostra saecula pervenire. [2] Circuminspice itaque quam magnum sit primordiis tuis canam Romam potuisse committi, ut in illo amplissimo coetu iudicis videaris eminere suggestu, ubi est arduum vel ipsum obtinere collegium. stude ergo, ut a meritis tuis exigere possis quod nos praestitisse cognoscis. avara fuge, iusta sequere, modesta dilige, iracunda contemne. [3] Quid erit suavius quam in illa turba summorum nobile protulisse iudicium, ubi tot patriciorum corda provocantur ad gratiam, ubi bonum factum celebretur ore sapientum? nusquam maiore laude virtus agitur, quam si recte Roma tractetur. quas divitias aestimes aptiores quam in oculis senatus conscientiae pretiosam gerere puritatem et ante ipsum Libertatis gremium nullis vitiis esse captivum? [4] Viderimus, reliqui fasces qua gloria censeantur: urbanus praesul dignitas est honorum. non patitur claritas illa committere, quod possit nobilis turba nescire. locatus in medium cunctorum ad se trahit aspectum et totius vitae iudicium promulgat fama populorum. haec te et animo concipere et rebus evidentibus explicare credibile apud nos faciunt studia litterarum, ubi cognovisti omne quod deceat et ad usum vitae gloriosae animum, doctorum nimirum institutione, formasti. [5] Fugiat ergo doctrina delictum. indocilis est animi ad vitia trahi: aedificatus libris locum non relinquit iniuriis, ubi in teneris annis adquiritur, quod matura aetate servetur. ad tramitem recti hortentur te tuorum facta seniorum, ammoneat lectionis auctoritas, deinde iudicii nostri electio gloriosa, ut maiora sumere de nobis possis, cum te ea quae commisimus implere cognoveris.
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VARIAE, BOOK 3, LETTER 11
From: King Theoderic, writing through Cassiodorus To: Argolicus, Distinguished Prefect of the City of Rome Date: ~507-511 AD Context: Theoderic expresses his wish that every day be filled with acts of royal generosity, especially through public works.
[1] We wish every day to be filled with our benefactions. We wish our generosity to shine everywhere, because what a ruler gives in munificence lives forever. Buildings crumble, laws are forgotten, but the memory of a generous king outlasts them all — or rather, the buildings he raises and the laws he enacts endure precisely because they were given in a spirit of genuine care rather than mere display.
[2] And so we take particular pleasure in restoring what time has worn down and in adding what the city still lacks. Rome, which has everything, somehow always needs more — not because it is greedy, but because it is Rome, and the capital of the world must always be worthy of its name. Every cracked aqueduct repaired, every forum swept clean, every basilica restored is a declaration that civilization endures.
[3] We therefore commit to the projects outlined in the attached instructions and entrust their oversight to your capable hands. Let the work proceed with the quality and speed that the city deserves. Do not hesitate to bring any difficulties to our attention — we would rather solve problems early than admire ruins later.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.