Resultados15 letters/passages
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.02
It is our policy, conscript fathers, to grant rewards to upright character and to kindle men of good promise toward still better conduct by the fruit of our generosity. The examples set by rewards nourish virtue, and no one fails to strive for the highest standards of character when what conscience approves does not go …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.02
The remedy we have devised for you, conscript fathers, with a devoted heart, we will not allow to be turned against you by bitter suspicion -- because it amounts to an injury to help in secret while appearing to intend something else. Know, therefore, that our arms have been deployed for your safety, so that whoever da …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.02
Receive, conscript fathers, the appointment that marks the beginning of our reign. First decisions are always scrutinized more closely, because people believe the sequel will match the start. No one expects a ruler to be careful later if he is not seen guarding his reputation from the very first. A prudent gardener str …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.02
The candidate before you, conscript fathers, possesses such an abundance of merits that we fear he will be thought promoted too late rather than not approved at all. For while our grandfather of divine memory sought out the finest men, a kinder fortune preserved this one unrewarded for us. He served that prince, devote …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.02
We are most grateful that you have accepted our grandfather of glorious memory's judgment in the election of a bishop. It was right to obey the decision of a good prince who, deliberating wisely -- even in a religion not his own [Theoderic was an Arian Christian, while the Roman Senate followed Nicene/Catholic Christia …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.02
If a man who has obtained a single royal appointment deserves your favor, conscript fathers, how much more must the distinguished Cyprianus merit it -- who should become all the more pleasing to you with each successive office he receives from us? In the stadium, a runner is glorified by a greater number of crowns; at …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
Our devotion, conscript fathers, is a most imperious thing -- since we are conquered by our own will, we who are bound by no one else's terms. For though, with God's help, we are capable of everything, we believe only praiseworthy things are permitted to us. You know, wise men, the meaning of our words. Recognize now t …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
We have rightly referred cases concerning your children to yourselves, since you who have an interest in the advancement of Roman learning should be the ones to look after it. It is impossible to believe you would be less attentive to something that enhances the prestige of your families and provides the Senate with co …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
He wisely shared his master's fate, so that by steadfastly enduring the divine judgment, he would find all the more favor with men. We tested the man's loyalty: he came over to our authority with a heavy heart -- one who, when his side was defeated, changed his allegiance but never engineered the defeat. As soon as we …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
It would be pointless to praise eloquence in a quaestor, since he is specifically chosen for the purpose of enhancing the age's reputation through the quality of his words. Other judges are entrusted with collecting provincial revenues; others are given custody of the private treasury. But in the quaestor are lodged th …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
Blameworthy excesses often provide the occasion for praiseworthy commands, and in a wonderful way the workings of justice are born from occasions of injustice. Justice keeps silent when no offense cries out, and the prince's ingenuity rests idle when no complaint has provoked it. Driven by the voices of complainants an …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
Although your assembly always radiates with its native splendor, conscript fathers, it is made brighter whenever it is augmented by the light of new offices. The sky itself shines more brilliantly with its countless stars, and from the abundance of its beauty it offers a marvelous sight to those who gaze upon it. It is …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
We would like the Senate's distinguished chamber to be filled by its own natural increase, and for its offspring to grow so abundantly that -- rare as it is for ambition to be satisfied -- it might actually content the hopes of its own members. But a truly devoted cultivator does not stop at hoping: he seeks to add sti …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
Although care must always be taken in choosing a man to present for your approval -- since the judge whose own verdicts are known to be weighed is himself submitted to scrutiny -- we especially wish to associate with your assembly those offices that are affixed to the citadels of Rome like precious gems. For where more …
cassiodorus · c. 522 · score 0.01
[1] We love it, Senators, when distinguished offices are born from our generosity. The mind of the ruler is the mother of public honor, and the character of the sovereign determines the quality of the dignities he bestows. A king who appoints wisely elevates not only the individual but the institution — and the institu …