Resultados25 letters/passages
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.02
… office, then, equals his in power. He judges everywhere in place of the sacred [imperial] authority. No soldier may claim jurisdiction over him, except the staff of the Master of Soldiers -- a concession, I believe, because antiquity chose to yield something to those who were seen to conduct wars for the state. He even …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.02
It is the purpose of royal compassion to cut off the ground for unjust hatreds and to restrain the arrogance of armed power with the reverence of royal commands. The hostility of a superior is a fearsome thing for the humble, since it is considered praiseworthy when vengeance is extracted from the lowly. Therefore, aft …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.02
How dangerous it is to face a judge who is reasonably angry, and to have the man whose wrath you have gravely provoked decide your fate! Strive, therefore, to be praised by our voice instead, for just as an unfavorable word from the judge can bring you down, so a favorable sentence can raise you up. Go forth, then, wit …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.02
Formula of the Praetorian Prefecture. [The Variae include official formulae -- template documents describing the powers and dignities of major offices, used when appointing new holders.] If the origin of any office deserves praise, if a noble beginning can lend glory to what follows, then the Praetorian Prefecture boas …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.02
This is why in the Hall of Liberty [the Atrium Libertatis, a famous public building in Rome] you hold a seat of honor, and merely to have entered there is a distinction. Even senators who outrank you in precedence are seen to need certain things from you. You have something to offer those above you, and not without rea …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.02
How dangerous it is to face a judge who is justifiably angry, to have your fate decided by someone you have grievously provoked! Strive instead to earn our praise, because just as an adverse word from the judge can ruin you, a favorable verdict can raise you up. Go forth, then, for this indiction, God willing, to your …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
It might seem unnecessary to specifically request protection from a ruler whose very purpose is to defend everyone. But since the execrable recklessness of certain violent men disturbs your security, we are not reluctant to extend our compassion to the complaints of the suffering, granting to a petitioner in particular …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
It is useful always to choose one person for the rest to obey, because if the will of many is left undirected, a confusion friendly to wrongdoing is bred. Therefore, know that we have granted the countship of your city for the designated indiction to the named individual. Offer him your wholesome obedience, so that he …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
Among the glorious concerns of the state that we continually review in our thoughts with God's help, close to our heart is the relief of the humble -- so that we may raise the shield of our devotion against the arrogance of the powerful, and no brazenness whose purpose is to trample the proud may have any standing with …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
Through him, the hospitality shown to foreign nations is arranged for the credit of our state, and ambassadors depart unwillingly whom he received in their sorrow [i.e., they are treated so well they do not wish to leave]. Through him the arrival of ambassadors, however hurried, is announced to us. Through him the disp …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
It befits royal justice to uphold what has been properly arranged by officials acting in good faith — especially those whose integrity is so well known that they can be assumed to have done nothing carelessly or corruptly. Therefore, the warehouse managers, grain distributors, wine and cheese suppliers, butchers, wine …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
… assigned staff] and Beatus shall be primicerius of the Augustales [chief of the imperial household unit] — so that those who are seen to have advanced to greater responsibilities may follow the praiseworthy examples of their predecessors.
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
It is generally agreed that things go well wherever a person in authority is present. Without a leader, everything falls into confusion, and when each person thinks he can live according to his own will, the rule of discipline is abandoned. Following ancient custom, therefore, our authority grants you jurisdiction over …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
… nk, approach among the tribunes and notaries to pay reverence before the sacred imperial purple — so that through the hallowed sight of your sovereign, the firmness of your dignity may be established.
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
… he most powerful officials in the late Roman/Ostrogothic state: controlling the imperial postal service, the palace guard (scholae), court ceremonies, and the reception of foreign ambassadors.] Whoever receives the title of Master assumes a revered honor, for this name always derives from expertise, and from the title …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
We therefore grant you the office of Quaestor for the thirteenth indiction, with the favor of God, so that you may satisfy the public's hopes by following the judgment of the law. Give yourself wholly to the laws, wholly to the pronouncements of the wise. You serve us best when you serve the established rules of our pr …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
The integrity of the judge is present in military appointments, because he gladly fulfills what he knows is justly owed. Therefore, let Pierius know that by my authority he has been made primicerius of the singulares [personal guard unit]. If there are any other matters, let them be brought forward with confidence — fo …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
The sight of those who have impressed themselves on our hearts through glorious actions is always pleasing to us. Those who have proven their devotion to virtue have given us a permanent pledge of their loyalty. Therefore, we summon your greatness -- proven to us by your glorious service -- to our court by this present …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
Fairness demands that each person, after completing their term of service, should arrive at the fruit of their military career and receive a reward proportional to their merits. Since ancient custom requires that we designate those who deserve to serve as your tribune, we decree by this authority that the person whose …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
Rightly so, since both are given with a similar grace and ought to be managed by the same judge, as they are seen to be joined in equal praise. It is not a small thing that provincial judges are subject to your authority. You also confirm the documents of the highest officials, since nothing is considered complete unti …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
It is the custom of deputies to obey the will of the judges they represent so completely that they seem to have no standing of their own. They shine with borrowed light, lean on another's authority, and appear to be mere images of the real thing -- men who possess no independent brilliance. But you bear the title of Vi …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
We believe it pertains to the credit of your office if we assign you duties suited to your responsibilities, since a man is rendered all the more pleasing the more occasions for obedience he is shown to have accepted. Therefore, with your office managing the process, you will promptly transmit to the bureaus of the Cou …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
[1] It is fitting that the provinces subject to our rule, with God's help, be governed by law and good morals, because the only truly human life is one ordered by the rule of law. Living at the mercy of chance is the way of wild beasts: driven by the impulse to seize, they fall victim to their own reckless daring. A sk …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
Bear it with the strength of your intellect and strive to manage it with the utmost loyalty. The more this office is pressed by diverse responsibilities, the more ample is the glory it brings. Let your actions shine so brightly that your light illuminates both our palace and the farthest provinces. Let your wisdom matc …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
… rocity is rendered to them, the body of the state is kept whole. Some time ago, imperial decrees provided certain devout contributions to the sacred churches throughout Bruttium and Lucania. But as is natural to sacrilegious minds — which manage to sin even against divine reverence itself — the revenue officers, under …