Letter 303: You have, I think, been led to impose a contribution of mares on these people by false information on the part of the inhabitants. What is going on is quite unfair. It cannot but be displeasing to your excellency, and is distressing to me on account of my intimate connection with the victims of the wrong.
I believe you've been given false information by locals, which led you to impose a levy of mares [horses requisitioned for imperial use] on these people. The situation is genuinely unjust. I can't imagine it reflects what your excellency actually wants — and it causes me personal distress, given my close ties to those being wronged. I'm writing immediately to ask that you not let these troublemakers succeed in their scheme.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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