Letter 8027: The strong must not be allowed to devour the weak, nor should power be confused with right.

27. King Athalaric to Dumerit, a saio [royal agent], and to Florentianus, a devoted man, Comitianus. [1] Just as public severity holds back from the innocent, so it is necessary that it expend the effort of its rigor upon the wicked, since the differing deserts of persons do not always merit one and the same judgment. Diseases themselves are healed by the unlike juices of herbs: in some cases food, in others the knife restores the longed-for soundness, and according to the character of the affliction they merit the prescription of the physician. [2] And therefore let your devotedness range without delay through the territory of Faventia, and, if it should find any of the Goths and Romans who have mixed themselves in the plundering of the landholders, let them be afflicted both with damages and with penalties according to the assessment of the deed, since those are more grievously to be punished who believed that obedience was owed neither to just admonitions nor to the beginnings of the prince, seeing that there is greater striving in wishing to serve new masters, so that, commended by good beginnings, they may enjoy the rest of their life in the gift of security.

XXVII. DUMERIT SAIONI ET FLORENTIANO VIRO DEVOTO COMITIANO ATHALARICUS REX. [1] Severitas publica sicut ab innocentibus vacat, ita necesse est, ut in sceleratis operam suae districtionis impendat, quia non semper unum merentur iudicium diversa merita personarum. morbi ipsi dissimilibus sucis sanantur herbarum: aliis cibi, aliis ferrum optatam revocat sospitatem et pro qualitate passionis praeceptum merentur artificis. [2] Et ideo devotio vestra per Faventinum territorium incunctanter excurrat et, si quos Gothorum atque Romanorum in direptionibus possessorum se miscuisse reppererit, secundum facti aestimationem et damnis affligantur et poenis, quia gravius plectendi sunt qui nec ammonitionibus iustis nec initiis principis oboediendum esse crediderunt, quando maior ambitus est novis dominis velle servire, ut commendati bonis initiis reliquam vitam securitatis munere perfruantur.