Letter 3034: It is our policy to send men proven in strength and moderation to govern and protect you, so that the welfare of the...

Cassiodoruscitizens of Satala|c. 522 AD|Cassiodorus
barbarian invasion
From: Theoderic (through Cassiodorus), King of the Ostrogoths
To: The Citizens of Marseille
Date: ~522 AD
Context: Theoderic appoints Count Marabadus as governor of Marseille, ordering the citizens to obey him.

It is our policy to send men proven in strength and moderation to govern and protect you, so that the welfare of the provincials may be improved and the public interest advanced under good leadership. Therefore, we have decided to send Count Marabadus, known to us for his fairness, to the city of Marseille. With God's help, he will accomplish everything pertaining to your security and civic life, and mindful of our favor, he will take care to uphold justice. He will bring relief to the humble, confront the insolent with the severity of his discipline, and allow no one to be oppressed by unjust presumption, but compel all toward justice -- the source from which empire always flourishes.

Therefore, obey the appointed man willingly in the orders he gives for the public good, so that your loyalty, already demonstrated by previous examples, may be confirmed by what follows. Obedience is most welcome when it is sustained by constant devotion. We intend to repay loyalty -- we cannot forget the services rendered to us.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.

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