King Theodoric to the Royal Stablemaster.
A petition that does not conflict with the public good deserves to be accepted, and the wishes of private citizens should be embraced when they seek a remedy without appearing to cause us loss.
From the complaint of the Most Distinguished John, we have learned that one Thomates, a member of our household, took possession of certain estates -- such and such ones -- and has now become a debtor to our treasury in the amount of ten thousand solidi, refusing through various evasions to pay the full sum owed. This has also been made clear to us through the report of our officials.
We have therefore decided to secure the matter with the following remedy: you are to publicly seize all the property of the said Thomates, posting public notices, under this condition -- that if Thomates fails to pay what is reasonably owed by the first day of September, the said property shall be handed over to the Most Distinguished John, who has promised to pay the debt from his own resources into our treasury. But if Thomates manages to discharge his obligation within the specified time, everything that was taken shall be restored to him intact. In this way, our treasury suffers no loss and we are seen to have shown our subjects our customary justice. We could have delayed even further, but there is no point in continuing to tolerate a negligent man whom we have always found unprepared over so long a period of time.
VI.
STABULARIO COMITIACO THEODERICUS REX.
[1] Suscipienda precatio est quae publicis utilitatibus non repugnat et amplectenda desideria privatorum, quae sic remedium quaerunt, ut nobis non videantur generare dispendium. viri itaque clarissimi Iohannis querela comperimus Thomatem domus nostrae certa praedia suscepisse, id est illud atque illud, et nunc decem milia solidorum reliquatorem nostris utilitatibus extitisse et per diversas ludificationes non implere debitam quantitatem, quod apud nos quoque procerum nostrorum suggestione perclaruit. [2] Ideoque causam tali credidimus remedio muniendam, ut universam substantiam supradicti Thomatis sub hac condicione fixis titulis publico debeas applicare, quatenus, si intra kal. Septembrium diem quod rationabiliter exponitur a Thomate minime fuerit exsolutum, praedicta substantia Iohanni viro clarissimo contradatur, qui eius debitum lucre nostro promisit aerario. quod si obligationem suam praedictus Thomas solvere intra praefinitum tempus fortasse potuerit, universa ei quae sublata sunt illibata reddantur, ita ut nec fiscus noster sustinere videatur incommoda et nos cognoscamur subiectis solitam praestitisse iustitiam. possemus enim adhuc ultra differre, si quid prodesset neglegentissimum sustinere, quem per tam longum temporis spatium semper invenimus imparatum.
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King Theodoric to the Royal Stablemaster.
A petition that does not conflict with the public good deserves to be accepted, and the wishes of private citizens should be embraced when they seek a remedy without appearing to cause us loss.
From the complaint of the Most Distinguished John, we have learned that one Thomates, a member of our household, took possession of certain estates -- such and such ones -- and has now become a debtor to our treasury in the amount of ten thousand solidi, refusing through various evasions to pay the full sum owed. This has also been made clear to us through the report of our officials.
We have therefore decided to secure the matter with the following remedy: you are to publicly seize all the property of the said Thomates, posting public notices, under this condition -- that if Thomates fails to pay what is reasonably owed by the first day of September, the said property shall be handed over to the Most Distinguished John, who has promised to pay the debt from his own resources into our treasury. But if Thomates manages to discharge his obligation within the specified time, everything that was taken shall be restored to him intact. In this way, our treasury suffers no loss and we are seen to have shown our subjects our customary justice. We could have delayed even further, but there is no point in continuing to tolerate a negligent man whom we have always found unprepared over so long a period of time.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.