Cassiodorus→Caelianus and Agapitus, Patricians|c. 522 AD|cassiodorus
VARIAE, BOOK 1, LETTER 32
From: King Theoderic, writing through Cassiodorus
To: Agapitus, Prefect of the City, a Distinguished Man
Date: ~507-511 AD
Context: Specific instructions to the urban prefect for managing the circus factions: enforce penalties for violence against senators, punish senators who harm citizens, and introduce the pantomime Helladius as a neutral performer to defuse factional tensions.
[1] It befits the governor of so great a city to be a guardian of peace. From whom should moderation be expected more than from the man entrusted with Rome? That mother of all dignities delights in having men of virtue preside over her. You must therefore match your spirit to your office, so that what you have gained through our favor may seem to have been earned by your own merit. You should be vigilant against any cause of sedition arising in the spectacles, because a quiet people is your greatest testimonial. Let the custom of heckling be moderate, so that neither the honest freedom of speech is destroyed nor discipline lost from public morals. [2] Therefore, as we have instructed both the most ample Senate and decreed for the people, we order your magnitude to observe the following: if anyone inflicts an injury on a senator, the offending loudmouth is to be punished immediately with the severity of the law. If, however, a senator forgets his civility and causes the beating of any free citizen, you are to send a report at once and he shall receive the fine imposed by our authority. [3] Let all remember to divide their enthusiasm and their parties at the games in such a way that they remain united as citizens of one country. They should not suppose that the contests of entertainment are staged so that hostile fury may blaze up from them. Furthermore, to ensure no future outbreak of mad contention, let Helladius step forward from the neutral center to provide the people's entertainment, receiving a monthly salary equal to that of the other faction pantomimes. [4] We also decree by this present order that the fans of Helladius, whom we have ordered to perform from the center without allegiance to either party, shall have the freedom to sit wherever they choose. But if their fickle taste shifts to the support of one color, the people shall follow their party in both circus and theater -- and anyone who oversteps will be judged to have sought the forbidden discord himself.
XXXII. AGAPITO V. I. P. V. THEODERICUS REX.
[1] Eximiae urbis praesulem pacis convenit esse custodem. nam a quo melius moderatio debet sperari, quam cui potuit Roma committi? illa enim mater omnium dignitatum viros sibi gaudet praesidere virtutum. et ideo honori tuo debes animos exaequare, ut quod nostris adeptus es beneficiis, tuis meritis invenisse credaris. circumspicere te decet, ne qua in spectaculis seditionum causa nascatur, quia tuum praeconium est populus quietus. sit insultandi consuetudo moderata, ut nec libertati pereat honesta licentia nec desit moribus disciplina. [2] Quocirca sicut nostris oraculis et amplissimum ordinem docuimus et plebem decrevimus ammoneri, hoc tuam quoque magnitudinem observare censemus, ut, si a quoquam irrogata fuerit iniuria senatori, confestim loquax temeritas legum severitate plectatur. si vero senator civilitatis immemor quemquam ingenuum nefaria fecerit caede vexari, protinus relatione transmissa perennitatis nostrae multam perculsus excipiat. [3] Meminerint enim cuncti sic spectaculorum studia partesque dividere, ut in patria debeant esse concordes, nec ad hoc sibi voluptatum exhiberi certamina, ut exinde hostilis ira fervescat. verum, ne posthac ulla possit iterum furiosa contentio provenire, Helladius de medio, voluptatem populi praestaturus, introeat, habiturus aequalitatem menstrui cum ceteris partium pantomimis. [4] Illud etiam, quod crebras inter eos seditiones exagitat, praesenti iussione definimus, ut amatores Helladii, quem de medio saltare praecepimus sine utriusque partis studio, spectandi eis, ubi delegerint, libera sit facultas. si vero eorum lubrica voluntas in unius coloris migraverit favorem, studia sua populus tam in circo quam theatro habeat pro parte quam diligit, ut is qui praesumpserit, vetitam ipse iudicetur quaesisse discordiam.
◆
VARIAE, BOOK 1, LETTER 32
From: King Theoderic, writing through Cassiodorus To: Agapitus, Prefect of the City, a Distinguished Man Date: ~507-511 AD Context: Specific instructions to the urban prefect for managing the circus factions: enforce penalties for violence against senators, punish senators who harm citizens, and introduce the pantomime Helladius as a neutral performer to defuse factional tensions.
[1] It befits the governor of so great a city to be a guardian of peace. From whom should moderation be expected more than from the man entrusted with Rome? That mother of all dignities delights in having men of virtue preside over her. You must therefore match your spirit to your office, so that what you have gained through our favor may seem to have been earned by your own merit. You should be vigilant against any cause of sedition arising in the spectacles, because a quiet people is your greatest testimonial. Let the custom of heckling be moderate, so that neither the honest freedom of speech is destroyed nor discipline lost from public morals. [2] Therefore, as we have instructed both the most ample Senate and decreed for the people, we order your magnitude to observe the following: if anyone inflicts an injury on a senator, the offending loudmouth is to be punished immediately with the severity of the law. If, however, a senator forgets his civility and causes the beating of any free citizen, you are to send a report at once and he shall receive the fine imposed by our authority. [3] Let all remember to divide their enthusiasm and their parties at the games in such a way that they remain united as citizens of one country. They should not suppose that the contests of entertainment are staged so that hostile fury may blaze up from them. Furthermore, to ensure no future outbreak of mad contention, let Helladius step forward from the neutral center to provide the people's entertainment, receiving a monthly salary equal to that of the other faction pantomimes. [4] We also decree by this present order that the fans of Helladius, whom we have ordered to perform from the center without allegiance to either party, shall have the freedom to sit wherever they choose. But if their fickle taste shifts to the support of one color, the people shall follow their party in both circus and theater -- and anyone who oversteps will be judged to have sought the forbidden discord himself.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.