Letter 4034: King Theodoric to Duda, Saio [royal agent].
Cassiodorus→Duda|c. 522 AD|Cassiodorus
grief deathproperty economics
King Theodoric to Duda, Saio [royal agent].
It is the way of wisdom to bring treasure hidden in the earth back into the service of the living, and not to call the property of the dead what belongs to the commerce of the living. What lies buried is lost to us, and to the dead it is of no use whatsoever. The pursuit of metals, after all, exists for the benefit of humanity. A vein of rich gold is no different from any other soil so long as it lies untouched -- it gains its value only through use. And even among the living, wealth is as good as buried when locked in the hands of misers.
We therefore decree, with measured authority, that you shall proceed to the reported site where much is said to lie hidden, with public witnesses present. If gold or silver is uncovered through your investigation, you shall faithfully claim it for the public treasury. However, you must keep your hands from the ashes of the dead, for we do not wish gains to be sought through crimes against the departed. Let buildings cover the ashes. Let columns and marble adorn the tombs. But let gold not be held by those who have left the commerce of the living behind.
Gold may rightly be removed from tombs where there is no owner to claim it. Indeed, it is a kind of fault to leave uselessly buried what could sustain the lives of the living. Aeacus is said to have been the first to discover gold, and Indus, king of the Scythians, silver -- and both were praised for giving their discoveries to human use. We should not carelessly do the opposite, lest things that were praised when first brought to light be now blamed for being neglected once found.
XXXIIII. DUDAE SAIONI THEODERICUS REX.
[1] Prudentiae mos est in humanos usus terris abdita talenta revocare commerciumque viventium non dicere mortuorum, quia et nobis infossa pereunt et illis in nullam partem profutura linquuntur. metallorum quippe ambitus solacia sunt hominum. nam divitis auri vena similis est reliquae terrae, si iaceat: usu crescit ad pretium, quando et apud vivos sepulta sunt, quae tenacium manibus includuntur. [2] Atque ideo moderata iussione decernimus, ut ad illum locum, in quo latere plurima suggeruntur, sub publica testificatione convenias: et si aurum, ut dicitur, vel argentum fuerit tua indagatione detectum, compendio publico fideliter vindicabis: ita tamen ut abstineatis manus a cineribus mortuorum, quia nolumus lucra quaeri, quae per funesta possunt scelera reperiri. aedificia tegant cineres, columnae vel marmora ornent sepulcra: talenta non teneant, qui vivendi commercia reliquerunt. [3] Aurum enim sepulcris iuste detrahitur, ubi dominus non habetur: immo culpae genus est inutiliter abditis relinquere mortuorum, unde se vita potest sustentare viventium. non est enim cupiditas eripere, quae nullus se dominus ingemiscat amisisse. primi enim dicuntur aurum Aeacus, argentum Indus rex Scythiae repperisse et humano usui summa laude tradidisse. quod nos in contrarium neglegere non debemus, ne sicut latentia cum laude sunt prodita, ita inventa cum vituperatione videantur esse neglecta.
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King Theodoric to Duda, Saio [royal agent].
It is the way of wisdom to bring treasure hidden in the earth back into the service of the living, and not to call the property of the dead what belongs to the commerce of the living. What lies buried is lost to us, and to the dead it is of no use whatsoever. The pursuit of metals, after all, exists for the benefit of humanity. A vein of rich gold is no different from any other soil so long as it lies untouched -- it gains its value only through use. And even among the living, wealth is as good as buried when locked in the hands of misers.
We therefore decree, with measured authority, that you shall proceed to the reported site where much is said to lie hidden, with public witnesses present. If gold or silver is uncovered through your investigation, you shall faithfully claim it for the public treasury. However, you must keep your hands from the ashes of the dead, for we do not wish gains to be sought through crimes against the departed. Let buildings cover the ashes. Let columns and marble adorn the tombs. But let gold not be held by those who have left the commerce of the living behind.
Gold may rightly be removed from tombs where there is no owner to claim it. Indeed, it is a kind of fault to leave uselessly buried what could sustain the lives of the living. Aeacus is said to have been the first to discover gold, and Indus, king of the Scythians, silver -- and both were praised for giving their discoveries to human use. We should not carelessly do the opposite, lest things that were praised when first brought to light be now blamed for being neglected once found.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.