Cassiodorus→Rechared, of Visigoths|c. 522 AD|cassiodorus
barbarian invasion
From: Theoderic (through Cassiodorus), King of the Ostrogoths
To: All Goths and Romans Residing Near the Fortress of Verruca
Date: ~522 AD
Context: Theoderic orders the construction of dwellings at the remarkable hilltop fortress of Verruca in the Adige valley, with a lyrical description of its natural defenses and philosophical reflections on the need for prudent preparation.
The provident commands of a ruler should be a cause for joy, since we are offering what you yourselves should have requested. What could be more welcome than to always take precautions for human affairs -- precautions that are either necessary or, if not, cost nothing? Therefore, we have delegated to our saio [royal agent] Leodefridus the task of overseeing the construction of dwellings for you at the fortress of Verruca, which takes its apt name from its position.
It is a rocky hill rising in the midst of flat plains, in a rounded shape, with steep sides stripped of forest, so that the entire mountain becomes like a single tower. Its base is narrower than its summit, and like a soft mushroom, it extends outward at the top while tapering below. A stronghold without a fight, a siege-proof position, where no attacker can presume and no defender need fear. The Adige River, honored among rivers, flows past it with the beauty of its clear current, providing both defense and beauty -- a fortress almost without equal in the world, holding the gates of the province, all the more valuable because it stands as a barrier against fierce peoples.
Who would not desire to inhabit this remarkable stronghold, this wonderful security, when even foreigners find it a delight to visit? And although, with God's help, we believe the province is secure in our times, it is nonetheless prudent to prepare even for what we do not expect.
Fortifications should always be prepared in peacetime -- they are sought too late when they are needed. The cormorants, whose name derives from their behavior, those aquatic birds who share their dwelling with fish, naturally foreseeing coming storms, seek dry land and abandon the pools. Dolphins, fearing the waves of the open sea, linger in the shallow shores. Sea urchins, those tender shell-encased morsels of the sea, when they sense coming storms and wish to move but lack confidence in swimming due to their lightness, embrace small stones of matching size and, balanced like anchors, seek rocks they trust the waves will not disturb.
Birds themselves change homelands at the approach of winter. Wild animals seek dens according to the season. Should human foresight not prepare what it may need in adversity? Nothing in the world remains constant -- human affairs are shaken by change. That is why it is called providence: to plan for what is to come.
XLVIII. UNIVERSIS GOTHIS ET ROMANIS CIRCA VERRUCAS CASTELLUM CONSISTENTIBUS THEODERICUS REX.
[1] Laetitia debet esse cunctorum provida iussio dominantum, quando illud, quod vos debuistis expetere, nos videtis offerre. quid est enim gratius quam humanis rebus cautelam semper adhibere, quae aut fit necessaria aut non gravat esse superfluam? et ideo Leodefrido saioni nostro praesenti delegavimus iussione, ut eius instantia in Verruca castello vobis domicilia construatis, quod a positione sui congruum nomen accepit. [2] Est enim in mediis campis tumulus saxeus in rotunditate consurgens, qui proceris lateribus, silvis erasus, totus mons quasi una turris efficitur, cuius ima graciliora sunt quam cacumina et in mollissimi fungi modo supernus extenditur, cum in inferiore parte tenuetur. agger sine pugna, obsessio secura, ubi nec adversarius quicquam praesumat nec inclusus aliquid expavescat. huic Athesis inter fluvios honorus amoeni gurgitis puritate praeterfluit causam praestans muniminis et decoris: castrum paene in mundo singulare, tenens claustra provinciae, quod ideo magis probatur esse praecipuum, quia feris gentibus constat obiectum. [3] Hoc opinabile munimen, mirabilem securitatem cui desiderium non sit habitare, quam vel externos delectat invisere? et quamquam deo iuvante nostris temporibus provinciam securam credamus, tamen prudentiae nihilominus est cavere etiam quae non putantur emergere. [4] Munitio coaptanda semper in otio est, qua tunc male quaeritur, quando necessaria iudicatur. mergi, quibus nomen ex facto est, cohabitatores piscium, aquatiles volucres futuras tempestates naturaliter praevidentes sicca petunt, stagna derelinquunt. delphini fluctus pelagi metuentes vadosis litoribus immorantur. echini, qui sunt mella carnalia, costatilis teneritudo, croceae deliciae divitis maris, dum futuras tempestates agnoverint, loca mutare cupientes, quia illis pro levitate corporis nandi nulla fiducia est, lapillos, quibus pares possunt esse, complexi, quadam anchorarum ponderatione librati scopulos petunt, quos fluctibus vexandos esse non credunt. [5] Aves ipsae adventu hiemis patrias mutant. ferae pro qualitate temporis cubilia quaerunt. hominum sollicitudo non debet providere quod potest in adversitate requirere? non est in mundo unum: humanae res mutabilitate quatiuntur. et ideo providentia dicitur, ut quae sunt futura tractentur.
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From:Theoderic (through Cassiodorus), King of the Ostrogoths
To:All Goths and Romans Residing Near the Fortress of Verruca
Date:~522 AD
Context:Theoderic orders the construction of dwellings at the remarkable hilltop fortress of Verruca in the Adige valley, with a lyrical description of its natural defenses and philosophical reflections on the need for prudent preparation.
The provident commands of a ruler should be a cause for joy, since we are offering what you yourselves should have requested. What could be more welcome than to always take precautions for human affairs -- precautions that are either necessary or, if not, cost nothing? Therefore, we have delegated to our saio [royal agent] Leodefridus the task of overseeing the construction of dwellings for you at the fortress of Verruca, which takes its apt name from its position.
It is a rocky hill rising in the midst of flat plains, in a rounded shape, with steep sides stripped of forest, so that the entire mountain becomes like a single tower. Its base is narrower than its summit, and like a soft mushroom, it extends outward at the top while tapering below. A stronghold without a fight, a siege-proof position, where no attacker can presume and no defender need fear. The Adige River, honored among rivers, flows past it with the beauty of its clear current, providing both defense and beauty -- a fortress almost without equal in the world, holding the gates of the province, all the more valuable because it stands as a barrier against fierce peoples.
Who would not desire to inhabit this remarkable stronghold, this wonderful security, when even foreigners find it a delight to visit? And although, with God's help, we believe the province is secure in our times, it is nonetheless prudent to prepare even for what we do not expect.
Fortifications should always be prepared in peacetime -- they are sought too late when they are needed. The cormorants, whose name derives from their behavior, those aquatic birds who share their dwelling with fish, naturally foreseeing coming storms, seek dry land and abandon the pools. Dolphins, fearing the waves of the open sea, linger in the shallow shores. Sea urchins, those tender shell-encased morsels of the sea, when they sense coming storms and wish to move but lack confidence in swimming due to their lightness, embrace small stones of matching size and, balanced like anchors, seek rocks they trust the waves will not disturb.
Birds themselves change homelands at the approach of winter. Wild animals seek dens according to the season. Should human foresight not prepare what it may need in adversity? Nothing in the world remains constant -- human affairs are shaken by change. That is why it is called providence: to plan for what is to come.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.