Letter 8032: We write to you again on the matter of Roman education, because the subject deserves our sustained attention.
Cassiodorus→Severus, of Aquileia|c. 522 AD|Cassiodorus
barbarian invasioneducation books
From: Athalaric (through Cassiodorus), King of the Ostrogoths
To: Severus
Date: ~527 AD
Context: Athalaric continues his instructions about education in Rome, specifying the duties and standards expected of teachers.
We write to you again on the matter of Roman education, because the subject deserves our sustained attention. It is not enough simply to pay teachers -- we must also ensure that they are worthy of their positions and that their students actually learn. Leisure and idleness among those who should be teaching are an affront to the public trust.
Grammar is the foundation of all eloquence. Without it, neither the advocate can persuade nor the administrator compose a clear dispatch. Rhetoric gives the polished speaker the power to move hearts and shape decisions. Law provides the framework within which all other arts operate. Each discipline supports the others, and together they produce the kind of educated citizen upon whom the state depends.
We therefore instruct you to review the performance of the teachers receiving public salaries. Those who fulfill their duties diligently should be rewarded and encouraged. Those who neglect their responsibilities should be replaced with more capable men. Standards must be maintained -- the reputation of Roman education is a treasure we hold in trust for future generations.
XXXII.
SEVERO V. S. ATHALARICUS REX.
[1] Cum Nymphadius v. s. pro causis suis ad comitatum sacratissimum festinaret, itineris longinquitate confectus, animalia fessa reparare contendens, ad fontem Arethusae in Scyllacino territorio constitutae elegit ponere mansionem, eo quod ipsa loca et pasturarum ubertate fecunda sint et aquarum inundatione pulchrescant. est enim, ut dicitur, sub pede collium supra maris harenam fertilis campus, ubi fons vastus egrediens cannis cingentibus in coronae speciem riparum suarum ora contexit, amoenus admodum et harundineis umbris et aquarum ipsarum virtute mirabilis. [2] Nam cum ibi tacitus homo et studiose silentiosus advenerit, aquas fontis irrigui reperit sic quietas, ut in morem stagni non tam currere quam stare videantur. at ubi concrepans tussis emissa fuerit aut sermo clarior fortasse sonuerit, nescio qua vi statim aquae ibidem concitatae prosiliunt: os illud gurgitis ebullire videas graviter excitatum, ut putes aquam rigentem succensae ollae suscepisse fervorum: silenti homini tacita, loquenti strepitu et fragore respondens, ut stupescas sic subito perturbatam, quam nullus tactus exagitat. [3] Nova vis, inaudita proprietas aquas voce hominum commoveri, et, quasi appellatae respondeant ita hominum sermonibus provocatae, nescio quid inmurmurant. credas ibi aliquod animal prostratum somno quiescere, quod excitatum magno tibi strepore respondeat. legitur quidem nonnullos fontium variis scaturrire miraculis, ut aliqui potati animalibus reddant varium colorem, alter greges albos efficiat, quidam in saxeam duritiam suscepta ligna convertant. sed has causas nulla ratio comprehendit, quia supra intellectum humanum esse cognoscitur quod tantum rebus naturalibus applicatur. [4] Sed ut ad querellam supplicantis cito redeamus, hic cum mansionem supradictus Nymphadius habuisset, insidiis rusticorum abactos sibi asserit caballos: quod temporum nostrorum habere non decet disciplinam, ut delectatio illius loci tali damno redderetur horribilis. quod vivacitatem tuam diligenti censemus examinatione discutere, quae et de palatio nostro auctoritatem et de legibus visa est iustitiam collegisse, ut more ipsius fontis scelus quod actum est videaris ulcisci. [5] Perquirantur fures summo silentio, teneantur in suis laribus quieti, dum, mox ut executor increpuerit, eorum corda turbentur, in voces prosiliant et se terribili murmuratione confundant. sic aquas suas omina sibi iudicent dedisse poenarum. sit ergo in eis competens vindicta, ut loca sint pervia: invitet posita disciplina studium commeantium, ne latronum excessibus vitetur tale miraculum, quod semper laetificare cognoscitur inquisitum.
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From:Athalaric (through Cassiodorus), King of the Ostrogoths
To:Severus
Date:~527 AD
Context:Athalaric continues his instructions about education in Rome, specifying the duties and standards expected of teachers.
We write to you again on the matter of Roman education, because the subject deserves our sustained attention. It is not enough simply to pay teachers -- we must also ensure that they are worthy of their positions and that their students actually learn. Leisure and idleness among those who should be teaching are an affront to the public trust.
Grammar is the foundation of all eloquence. Without it, neither the advocate can persuade nor the administrator compose a clear dispatch. Rhetoric gives the polished speaker the power to move hearts and shape decisions. Law provides the framework within which all other arts operate. Each discipline supports the others, and together they produce the kind of educated citizen upon whom the state depends.
We therefore instruct you to review the performance of the teachers receiving public salaries. Those who fulfill their duties diligently should be rewarded and encouraged. Those who neglect their responsibilities should be replaced with more capable men. Standards must be maintained -- the reputation of Roman education is a treasure we hold in trust for future generations.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.