Letter 22

VARIAE, BOOK 1, LETTER 22 From: King Theoderic, writing through Cassiodorus To: Marcellus, a Distinguished Man, Advocate of the Treasury Date: ~507-511 AD Context: Theoderic appoints a fiscal advocate -- a lawyer who represents the royal treasury in court -- with the important reminder that the crown should sometimes lose its cases, because justice matters more than revenue. [1] It is the solid mark of royal generosity when gifts are matched with good judgment, and chance cannot claim credit for what the balance of wise planning has weighed. Where offices are fitted to merit, nothing is owed to luck. We are not passing judgment on unknown men; we are choosing from among the most proven. [2] You have sharpened your talent on the whetstone of the forum, praised on many fronts; you have nurtured your eloquence through the practice of litigation; you have learned what sweet fruits integrity bears -- fruits that win the hearts even of rulers. Our watchful mind, ever attentive to virtue, has observed these qualities in you. These are the recommendations that won our favor, so that you, who have conducted private cases with integrity, were judged worthy to handle public ones. [3] Take up, then, the defense of our treasury's cases, following the precedent of your predecessors in exercising the privileges of your office. Walk the middle path of justice with steady step, so that you neither oppress the innocent through false accusation nor let those who resist legitimate claims escape their obligations. We count as true profit only what we gain through integrity. We do not ask how often you win, but how you win. [4] Keep your eye on fairness if you wish to please us. Seek victories not from our power but from the law, since it is more praiseworthy for the treasury to lose when justice is not on its side. For if the sovereign wins, the suspicion of oppression falls upon him; but if the humble petitioner prevails, it is credited as true justice. We therefore plead our cases at no small risk to our reputation, since our good name benefits most when unjust advantage is set aside. Let the treasury's case sometimes be the weaker one, so that the sovereign may be seen as just. We profit more from losing than from winning unjustly.

XXII. MARCELLO V. S. ADVOCATO FISCI THEODERICUS REX. [1] Solida laus est regiae largitatis, quotiens conveniunt indulta iudiciis, nec sibi audet casus ascribere, quod bonae dispositionis librat examen, quia ubi aptantur officia meritis, nil debetur incertis. non enim de rudibus sententiam ferimus, sed de probatissimis iudicamus. [2] Polisti siquidem forensi cote multifarie praedicatus ingenium: nutristi facundiam exercitatione causarum: expertus es, quam suaves fides afferat fructus, ut ipsa etiam conciliet corda regnantum. haec in te speculator virtutum noster sensus inspexit: his apud nos suffragiis placere meruisti, ut dignus existeres ad publicas causas, qui gessisti hactenus sub integritate privatas. [3] Sume igitur fisci nostri tuenda negotia, in utendis officii tui privilegiis decessorum exempla secuturus. ita ergo per medium iustitiae tramitem moderatus incede, ut nec calumnia innocentes graves nec iustis petitionibus retentatores exoneres. illa enim lucra vera iudicamus, quae integritate suffragante percipimus. non ergo quotiens superes, sed quemadmodum vincas, inquirimus. [4] Aequitatem nobis placiturus intende: non quaeras de potestate nostra, sed potius de iure victorias, quando laudabilius a parte fisci perditur, cum iustitia non habetur. nam si dominus vincat, oppressionis invidia est: aequitas vero creditur, si supplicem superare contingat. non ergo parvo periculo causas dicimus, quando tunc fama nostra proficit, cum se commoditas iniusta subducit. quapropter sit interdum mala causa fisci, ut bonus princeps esse videatur. maiori quippe compendio perdimus, quam si nobis indebite victoria suffragetur.