VARIAE, BOOK 6, FORMULA 22
From: The Ostrogothic Chancery (Cassiodorus)
To: [Template for the appointment of a Count of Syracuse]
Date: ~522 AD
Context: A model letter for the comes Syracusanae, the governor of Syracuse in Sicily -- chosen with care because Syracuse required a judge who could govern well without the need for constant royal oversight.
[1] It is the mark of royal foresight to choose judges of such character that no need arises for them to be sent to court for further instruction. Good governance requires men who arrive already equipped with judgment and integrity. Syracuse, that ancient and illustrious city, demands a governor worthy of its distinction -- one who will administer justice so fairly and govern so wisely that the people feel the benefit of our rule even in our absence. [2] The wealth and importance of this province make it a prize for the corrupt, which is precisely why we must be all the more careful in our selection. A governor who yields to greed in so rich a territory will do more harm in a year than a poor administrator might do in ten. We send you because we trust your conscience, and we remind you that the reputation of our entire reign is reflected in how you treat the people of this province.
XXII.
FORMULA COMITIVAE SYRACUSANAE.
[1] Regalis est providentiae tales iudicum personas eligere, ut ad comitatum necessitatem non habeant veniendi, quos in longinquis regionibus contigerit immorari. nullum enim tale negotium est, quod Siculi itineris tantas pati possit expensas, dum commodius sit causam perdere quam aliquid per talia dispendia conquisisse. non enim querelas de Sicilia volumus venire, sed laudes, quia gravatur apud nos actio praesulis, si eam tam longinqui potuerint accusare petitores. falsus enim dolor esse non creditur, ubi tanti laboris taedia subeuntur. et ideo maiore cura tractanda sunt, unde invidia plus timetur. [2] Proinde per indictionem illam comitivam tibi Syracusanae civitatis propitia divinitate concedimus, ut omnia sic agere nitaris, quemadmodum nos tibi praestitisse cognoscis. de proximis vota causantium sustinemus: inde autem ultro requirimus, unde ad nos difficile veniri posse sentimus. habes quae te decorare debeant, si tu tamen ibi conscientia defaecatus adveneris. [3] Militum tibi numerus nostris servit expensis. redderis inter arma geniatus: processio tua procinctualis ornatus est. exercitu uteris pacato, nec pericula belli subis et armorum pompa decoraris. verum inter haec civilem cogita disciplinam. non permittas milites esse possessoribus insolentes. annonas suas sub moderatione percipiant: causis non misceantur extraneis. pro securitate se omnium cognoscat electum, qui se gloriatur armatum. privilegia dignitatis tuae nec volumus minui nec iubemus excedi. sufficiat tibi tantum gerere, quantum decessores tuos constiterit rationabiliter effecisse.
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VARIAE, BOOK 6, FORMULA 22
From: The Ostrogothic Chancery (Cassiodorus) To: [Template for the appointment of a Count of Syracuse] Date: ~522 AD Context: A model letter for the comes Syracusanae, the governor of Syracuse in Sicily -- chosen with care because Syracuse required a judge who could govern well without the need for constant royal oversight.
[1] It is the mark of royal foresight to choose judges of such character that no need arises for them to be sent to court for further instruction. Good governance requires men who arrive already equipped with judgment and integrity. Syracuse, that ancient and illustrious city, demands a governor worthy of its distinction -- one who will administer justice so fairly and govern so wisely that the people feel the benefit of our rule even in our absence. [2] The wealth and importance of this province make it a prize for the corrupt, which is precisely why we must be all the more careful in our selection. A governor who yields to greed in so rich a territory will do more harm in a year than a poor administrator might do in ten. We send you because we trust your conscience, and we remind you that the reputation of our entire reign is reflected in how you treat the people of this province.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.