Letter 7009: VARIAE, BOOK 7, LETTER 9

VARIAE, BOOK 7, LETTER 9 From: The Royal Chancery (Cassiodorus), on behalf of the King To: [Appointee to the Count of the Port of Rome] Date: ~523-527 AD Context: The appointment formula for the commander of Portus, Rome's harbor city at the mouth of the Tiber — a vivid description of the bustling maritime trade that still fed the ancient capital in the 6th century. [1] This is more a delightful posting than a laborious one — to exercise the dignity of count at the Port of Rome [Portus, at the mouth of the Tiber, the great harbor built by Claudius and expanded by Trajan]. There you will see the copious arrival of ships; there the billowing sails of vessels from many nations form a kind of floating forest. There the bounty of every province is unloaded, and what distant lands produce, Rome receives. The harbor itself is a spectacle worthy of a great city — a theater of commerce where the whole world performs. [2] You will oversee the weighing and measuring of goods, the collection of harbor dues, the orderly assignment of berths, and the prevention of fraud. Merchants must be treated fairly, for the reputation of a port determines whether ships return to it. A harbor known for honesty attracts the wealth of nations; one known for extortion finds its docks growing empty. Your conduct shapes the fortunes not just of the port but of the city it feeds. [3] Maintain order among the dockworkers, settle disputes quickly, and ensure that perishable goods are unloaded without delay. The grain that feeds Rome passes through your hands — and there is no office in the kingdom where inefficiency carries graver consequences. A city that goes hungry does not ask whose fault it was; it simply knows that someone failed. [4] Guard the port against smuggling, piracy, and every form of illegal trade. The sea connects us to the world, but it also exposes us to its dangers. Vigilance at the harbor is vigilance for the entire state. [5] We grant you this office for the current indiction, confident in your ability and integrity. Serve Rome well, and Rome will remember you with honor.

VIIII. FORMULA COMITIVAE PORTUS URBIS ROMAE. [1] Deliciosa magis quam laboriosa militia est in Portu Romano comitivae gerere dignitatem. illic enim copiosus navium prospectatur adventus: illic veligerum mare peregrinos populos cum diversa provinciarum merce transmittit et inter tot spectacula dulcium rerum commodum tuum est venientes evasisse periculum. his primum faucibus Romanae deliciae sentiuntur et undis Tiberinis quasi per alvum vadunt quae ad commercia civitatis ascendunt. [2] Bene inventa dignitas, quae copias videtur ornare Romanas. nam quid elegantius potest agi quam unde probatur populus ille satiari? o inventa maiorum! o exquisita prudentium! ut quia longius a litore Roma videbatur posita, inde magis esse inciperet, ubi decorum ingressum navium possideret. duo quippe Tiberini alvei meatus ornatissimas civitates tamquam duo lumina susceperunt, ne vacaret a gratia quod tantae urbi ministrabat expensas. eximia ergo res tibi committitur, si moderate peragatur. [3] Tu copiam facis, dum ingredientes iuste tractaveris. avara manus portum claudit et cum digitos attrahit, navium simul vela concludit. merito enim illa mercatores cuncti refugiunt, quae sibi dispendiosa esse cognoscunt. quapropter adversus ibi ventus est immoderata praesumptio: nam placidum mare damnat, qui undas cupiditatis exaggerat. unusquisque pro sollemnitate commonitus offerat voluntarium munus. Xenia sunt enim ista, non debita. a paucis accipit qui nimium quaerit: et sibi ipse nutrit vitae munera, qui moderatur oblata. [4] Sit tibi ergo cura praecipua non solum te abstinere, verum etiam cohibere praesumentium manus, quia non est leve in illa ubertate delinquere, quam decet cunctos indesinenter optare. quocirca per indictionem illam comitivae Portus te honore decoramus, ut sicut tibi dignitas dulces delicias amministrat, ita et tu honori opinionem laudabilem derelinquas.