Italia ek te
symmachon kai philon polemioi genesthai ten te gar Amalaphridan en
phylake eschon kai tous Gotthous diephtheiran hapantas epenenkontes
autois neoterizein es te Bandilous kai Hilderichon]. Both Victor and
Procopius seem to place the conflict before the death of Theodoric;
Victor says A.D. 523. Probably therefore the fighting, the capture of
Amalafrida, and the death of her countrymen, took place in that year,
the year of her husband's death and Hilderic's accession. Three or
four years later (526 or 527), when her brother Theodoric was dead,
the imprisoned princess was murdered--a grievous insult to the young
Sovereign of the Goths, her great-nephew.]

'Our Goths keenly feel the insults conveyed in this deed, since to
slay the royal lady of another race is to despise the valour of that
race and doubt its willingness to avenge her.

'We send you two ambassadors to hear what your excuses are. We hear
that you pretend that her death was natural. And you also must send
ambassadors in return to us to explain the matter, without war or
bloodshed, and either pacify us or acknowledge your guilt. If you do
not do this, all ties of alliance between us are broken, and we must
leave you to the judgment of the Divine Majesty, which heard the blood
of Abel crying from the ground.'

2. EDICT OF KING ATHALARIC.

[Sidenote: Oppression of the Curiales.]

'The body of the Republic is so tempered together that if one member
suffers all the members suffer with it. The Curiales, whose name is
derived from their care (cura) and forethought, are, we are told,
molested by hostile proceedings, so that what was bestowed upon them
as an honour turns out rather to their injury. What scandalous
injustice! What an insupportable evil! that he who ought to have
benefited the Republic by his services, should often lose both fortune
and liberty.

'Wherefore by this edict we decree that if any Curialis suffer
oppression, if anyone, without the express warrant of ourselves or the
high officers of State whose business it is, inflict upon a Curialis
any injury or loss of property, he shall pay a fine of 10 lbs. of gold
(L400), to go to the benefit of the person thus oppressed; or, if his
property be insufficient to pay this fine, he shall be beaten with
clubs. The Curialis must then give additional diligence to the
discharge of his public duties, since his debt to the State is, as it
were, increased by the protection which we are thus a