44: The praises of the exormiston are not only foreign to
the main subject of the letter, but to a certain extent weaken the
writer's argument on behalf of his countrymen; but, as a good
Bruttian, he cannot help vaunting the products of his country.]

'These are the products--I speak from my own knowledge--of the Rhegian
shore. Therefore you must not seek to levy a tribute of wheat or lard
from the inhabitants under the name of "coemptio."

'I may add that they are so troubled by the constant passage of
travellers entering Italy or leaving it, that it would have been right
to excuse them even if those products had been found there in
abundance[845].'

[Footnote 845: The passage to and fro of travellers no doubt brought
with it burdensome duties for the inhabitants in connection with the
_Cursus Publicus_. It was therefore a reason for mitigating other
taxes.]

15. SENATOR, PRAETORIAN PRAEFECT, TO MAXIMUS, VIR CLARISSIMUS,
CANCELLARIUS OF LUCANIA AND BRUTTII[846].

[Footnote 846: This letter, being the description by Cassiodorus of
his native place, is translated entire.]

[Sidenote: Praises of the author's birthplace, Scyllacium.]

'Scyllacium, the first city of Bruttii, which Ulysses the destroyer of
Troy is believed to have founded, is said to be unreasonably vexed by
the exorbitant demands of purveyors[847]. These injuries grieve us all
the more on account of our patriotic love for the place.

[Footnote 847: 'Irrationabiliter dicitur praesumentium nimietate
vexari.']

'The city of Scyllacium, which is so placed as to look down upon the
Hadriatic Gulf, hangs upon the hills like a cluster of grapes: not
that it may pride itself upon their difficult ascent, but that it may
voluptuously gaze on verdant plains and the blue back of the sea. The
city beholds the rising sun from its very cradle, when the day that is
about to be born sends forward no heralding Aurora; but as soon as it
begins to rise, the quivering brightness displays its torch. It
beholds Phoebus in his joy; it is bathed in the brightness of that
luminary, so that it might be thought to be itself the native land of
the sun, the claims of Rhodes to that honour being outdone.

'It enjoys a translucent air, but withal so temperate that its winters
are sunny, and its summers cool; and life passes there without sorrow,
since hostile seasons are feared by none. Hence, too, man himself is
here freer of soul than elsewhere, for this temperateness of th