Letter 11003: Senator [Cassiodorus], Praetorian Prefect, to Various Bishops.

III. Senator, Praetorian Prefect, to various bishops. [1] It is the natural custom of bodily fathers to rejoice over the advancement of their sons, since whatever praise is granted to renowned offspring is credited to their upbringing. But you, spiritual parents, who behold the Author of all things with an enlightened mind, supplicate the holy Trinity diligently on my behalf, that He may make the candelabrum placed in the midst shine joyfully, so that inner vision may not be lacking to me and an aspect of me may be displayed to others. [2] Will it profit anyone for a judge to be clear-sighted toward others, if he is rendered the more obscure to himself? Let Him grant dignity of conscience, who has deigned to provide tribunals. Let Him make the judge inoffensive, lest he condemn the one who errs. Let Him be most favorably present to us, so that ill-omened vices may be rendered absent. Let Him bestow His love, so that, taking pity, He may shut out the ambition to sin. [3] Therefore, true parents of the soul, with affectionate and worthy petition I beseech you that, with a fast proclaimed, you supplicate the Lord, who may prolong the life of our princes for a flourishing realm, may as a defender diminish the enemies of the commonwealth, may grant quiet times and times abundant for the praise of His own name, and may, by the tranquility of all things, deign to render me beloved to you. [4] But that your prayer too may be the more readily heard, be attentive concerning those whom we appoint. What we do not know ought not to be imputed to us. Let your testimonies attend their deeds, so that the one praised may find favor with us, or the one accused may find offense. For they will not be able to impute it to us if they transgress, since they are not commanded to give wrongly, so as to be forced improperly to receive. [5] Provide to orphans and widows, against savage assaults, consolations pleasing to God, yet in such a way that, as happens through excessive piety, while you seek to come to the aid of the wretched, you do not take away the place of the laws. For if anything perhaps offends in its strictness, give such admonitions to all that you may be able to render the laws on holiday. Shut out, most holy ones, among the unclean spirits the implacable furies of the vices; temper violence, drive off avarice, remove thefts, separate from your people that luxury which lays waste the human race. Thus you effectively conquer the author of iniquity, if you take away his persuasions from human hearts. [6] Let the bishop teach, so that the judge may not be able to find what he might punish. The administration of innocence has been given to you. For if your preaching does not cease, it is necessary that punitive action grow still. And therefore I commend my dignity to you in every part, so that our acts may be aided by the prayers of the saints, we who presume less in human power. [7] In a friendly manner too, advise me what is just. I am no crafty repudiator: what I owe generally, I pay unconstrained. I render also to your holiness the office of honorific greeting, and I conclude the text of the letter with an affectionate ending, so that sweeter things may remain in your mind, since the mind well commends to itself the things that come last.

III. DIVERSIS EPISCOPIS SENATOR PPO. [1] Corporalium patrum naturalis mos est de filiorum provectione gaudere, dum eorum institutionibus applicatur quicquid laudis in clara prole conceditur. vos autem spiritales parentes, qui auctorem rerum illuminata mente conspicitis, pro me sanctae trinitati sedulo subplicate, ut splendere laetum faciat in medio positum candelabrum, quatenus nec mihi interior desit visus et de me aliis pandatur aspectus. [2] Numquid proderit iudicem aliis esse perspicuum, si sibi potius reddatur obscurus? dignitatem conscientiae donet, qui tribunalia praestare dignatus est. faciat inoffensum iudicem, ne damnet errantem. sit nobis prosperrime praesens, ut infausta vitia reddantur absentia. amorem suum tribuat, ut peccandi ambitum miseratus excludat. [3] Quapropter, animae veri parentes, affectuosa et probabili petitione vos deprecor, ut indicto ieiunio domino supplicetis, qui vitam principum nostrorum florenti regno protendat, hostes rei publicae defensor imminuat, donet quieta tempora et ad laudem sui nominis copiosa faciatque rerum omnium tranquillitate, ut me vobis reddere dignetur amabilem. [4] Sed quo facilius vestra quoque exaudiatur oratio, estote circa eos quos destinamus attenti. quod nescimus, nobis non debet imputari. actus eorum testimonia vestra prosequantur, ut aut laudatus gratiam aut accusatus apud nos invenire possit offensam. neque enim nobis imputare poterunt, si delinquunt, quando non iubentur male dare, ut perperam cogantur accipere. [5] Orfanis viduisque contra saevos impetus deo placita praestate solacia, ita tamen, ne, quod accidit per nimiam pietatem, dum miseris subvenire quaeritis, locum legibus auferatis. nam si aliquid offendit forte districtum, talia date cunctis monita, ut iura possitis reddere feriata. excludite, sanctissimi, inter immundos spiritus implacabiles vitiorum furores, violentiam temperate, avaritiam depellite, furta removete, depopulatricem humani generis luxuriem a vestro populo segregate. sic auctorem iniquitatis efficaciter vincitis, si eius persuasiones de humanis cordibus auferatis. [6] Episcopus doceat, ne iudex possit invenire quod puniat. administratio vobis innocentiae data est. nam si praedicatio vestra non desinat, necesse est ut poenalis actio conquiescat. et ideo dignitatem meam in omni vobis parte commendo, quatenus actus nostri sanctorum orationibus adiuventur, qui minus in humana potestate praesumimus. [7] Familiariter etiam mihi suadete quod iustum est. non sum callidus abiurator: quod generaliter debeo, incoactus exolvo. dependo etiam sanctitati vestrae honorificae salutationis officium textumque epistulae affectuoso fine concludo, ut in mentem vestram dulciora remaneant, quia bene sibi animus posteriora commendat.