o
obey our ancestors. Show forth the justice of the Goths, a nation
happily situated for praise, since it is theirs to unite the
forethought of the Romans and the virtue of the Barbarians. Remove all
ill-planted customs[291], and impress upon all your subordinates that
we would rather that our Treasury lost a suit than that it gained one
wrongfully, rather that we lost money than the taxpayer was driven to
suicide.'

[Footnote 291: 'Consuetudines abominanter inolitas.' Fornerius thinks
this means 'all extortionate taxes.' Compare the English use of the
word 'customs.']

[Cf. Muchar, 'Geschichte der Steiermark' iv. 131.]

24. KING THEODORIC TO ALL THE BARBARIANS AND ROMANS SETTLED IN
PANNONIA.

[Cf. Muchar, iv. 132.]

[Sidenote: To the Pannonians, on the appointment of Colossaeus.]

'Intent on the welfare of our subjects we are sending you Colossaeus
for Governor. His name means a mighty man; and a mighty man he is, who
has given many proofs of his virtue. Now we exhort you with patience
and constancy to submit yourselves to his authority. Do not excite
that wrath before which our enemies tremble. Acquiesce in the rule of
justice in which the whole world rejoices. Why should you, who have
now an upright Judge[292], settle your grievances by single combat?
What has man got a tongue for, if the armed hand is to settle all
differences? or where can peace be looked for, if there is fighting in
a civilised State like ours[293]? Imitate then our Goths, who have
learned to practise war abroad, to show peaceable dispositions at
home. We want you so to live as you see that our subjects (parentes)
have lived and flourished under the Divine blessing.'

[Footnote 292: 'Cur ad monomachiam recurritis, qui venalem judicem non
habetis?']

[Footnote 293: 'Aut unde pax quaeritur si sub civilitate pugnetur.']

25. KING THEODORIC TO SIMEON, VIR ILLUSTRIS AND COMES.

[Sidenote: Tax-collecting and iron-mining in Dalmatia.]

'We entrust to you the duty of collecting throughout the Province of
Dalmatia the arrears of Siliquaticum for the first, second, and third
Indictions [Sept. 1, 506, to Aug. 31, 509]. We do this not only for
the sake of gain to our Treasury, but to prevent the demoralisation of
our subjects.

'Also by careful mining (cuniculo veritatis) seek out the iron veins
in Dalmatia, where the softness of earth is pregnant with the rigour
of iron, which is cooked by fire that it may become hard.

'Iron enables us