Letter 8006: King Athalaric to Liberius, Praetorian Prefect of the Gauls.

VI. King Athalaric to Liberius, Praetorian Prefect of the Gauls. [1] We know that your spirit is worn down by bitter grief over the death of our lord and grandfather of glorious memory, since all good things are heavily mourned when they are lost: for the loss is felt the more keenly when a beloved lord is taken away. But it befits the devotion of piety to console the afflicted mind with a compensating remedy, because the one lost is scarcely felt when no stranger succeeds him. [2] For thus, by God's command, he provided for himself, since he was foreseeing even after his death, so that he might leave peace to his regions, lest any disturbance should trouble the quiet. He placed us as lord upon the seat of his kingdom, so that the glory of the line, which flourished in him, might at once shine forth with equal light upon his successors. With this arrangement the wishes of both Goths and Romans concurred, so that under the bond of an oath they promised that they would keep faith with a devoted spirit toward our reign. [3] We believed that this should be conveyed to the notice of your illustrious greatness, so that from those who in the Gauls are devoted to the reign of our piety a like example may be set forth, and, just as they do not wish our feelings toward them to be made any less, so they may be held bound by an equal condition.

VI. LIBERIO PPO GALLIARUM ATHALARICUS REX. [1] Scimus animum vestrum de obitu gloriosae memoriae domni avi nostri acerbo dolore fatigari, dum omnia bona graviter defleantur amissa: plus enim quaeritur, dum dominus desiderabilis abrogatur. expedit autem studio pietatis afflictam mentem compensativo remedio consolari, quia vix sentitur amissus, cui non succedit extraneus. [2] Sic enim sibi deo imperante prospexit, dum esset et post fata providus, ut regionibus suis pacem relinqueret, ne aliqua novitas quieta turbaret. in sellam regni sui nos dominos collocavit, quatenus decus generis, quod in illo floruit, in successores protinus aequali luce radiaret. cui ordinationi Gothorum Romanorumque desideria convenerunt, ita ut sub iurisiurandi religione promitterent fidem se regno nostro devoto animo servaturos. [3] Quod ad illustris magnitudinis vestrae notitiam credidimus perferendum, ut ab his, qui in Galliis regno pietatis nostrae devoti sunt, simile proferatur exemplum et, sicut animos nostros circa se minores non desiderant effici, ita pari condicione teneantur astricti.