Letter 7011: VARIAE, BOOK 7, LETTER 11

VARIAE, BOOK 7, LETTER 11 From: The Royal Chancery (Cassiodorus), on behalf of the King To: [Appointee to the office of Defensor Civitatis] Date: ~523-527 AD Context: The appointment formula for the Defensor Civitatis — the "Defender of the City," created to protect ordinary citizens against abuses by the powerful. [1] If the person chosen for any task must be one praised for good judgment and seriousness, how much more outstanding should you be — you who take on the affairs of an entire city? The defensor is not merely a title but a shield: the living guarantee that the poorest citizen has someone to speak for him when the powerful press too hard. In a just state, no one should be too weak to find a defender, and no one too strong to be held accountable. [2] Hear the complaints of the humble with patience. Investigate charges against the powerful without fear. Bring genuine abuses to the attention of the provincial governor, and resolve smaller matters within your own authority. The city looks to you as its first line of protection — not against foreign enemies, but against the domestic injustices that corrode civic life from within. [3] Be accessible, be fair, and above all, be incorruptible. The defensor who can be bought has betrayed not merely his office but every citizen who trusted him. We have chosen you because we believe your integrity is equal to the task. Prove us right.

XI. FORMULA DEFENSORIS CUIUSLIBET CIVITATIS. [1] Si ad cuiuslibet negotium peragendum talis eligitur, qui consilio et gravitate laudetur, quanto praestantior esse debes, qui suscipis negotia civitatis? nam si periculum est unum decipere, quid erit imparem tantorum iudiciis extitisse? causa enim multorum bene acta nobilitat, quando totum bono proposito agere creditur, qui generalibus desideriis adesse sentitur. [2] Defensorem te itaque illius civitatis per indictionem illam, civium tuorum supplicatione permota, nostra concedit auctoritas, ut nihil venale, nihil improbum facere velis, qui tali nomine nuncuparis. commercia civibus secundum temporum qualitatem aequabili moderatione dispone. definita serva quae iusseris, quia non est labor vendendi summas includere nisi statuta pretia castissime custodire. imples enim re vera boni defensoris officium, si cives tuos nec legibus patiaris opprimi nec caritate consumi.