Cassiodorus Corpus: Variae, Institutions

Cassiodorus

Translated by Thomas Hodgkin

408 chapters · about 6 h

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The opening

1. King Theodoric to Emperor Anastasius.

‘It behoves us, most clement Emperor, to seek for peace, since there are no causes for anger between us.

‘Peace by which the nations profit; Peace the fair mother of all liberal arts, the softener of manners, the replenisher of the generations of mankind. Peace ought certainly to be an object of desire to every kingdom.

‘Therefore, most pious of princes, it accords with your power and your glory that we who have already profited by your affection should seek concord with your Empire. You are the fairest ornament of all realms; you are the healthful defence of the whole world, to which all other rulers rightfully look up with reverence, because they know that there is in you something which is unlike all others: we above all, who by Divine help learned in your Republic the art of governing Romans with equity. Our royalty is an imitation of yours, modelled on your good purpose, a copy of the only Empire; and in so far as we follow you do we excel all other nations.

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About this edition

The words
Thomas Hodgkin's English translation, copied word for word.
Left out
  • The source library's header, footer and license, in 3 places
  • The title page and opening pages before chapter 1, in 2 places
  • Page numbers and running heads from the printed pages, in 4 places
  • A preface, foreword or afterword, in 3 places
  • The printed table of contents (the app makes its own), in 2 places
  • Other material that isn't the author's, in 2 places
  • Hodgkin's 'Additions and Corrections' (errata of his own edition) (33 blocks)
  • Hodgkin's margin summary of the letter, in his own words (the same wording heads his abstract) (473 blocks)
  • Hodgkin's own summary of the letter, not in Cassiodorus's words (his condensed rendering) (187 blocks)
  • Notes and pages added by translators, editors or publishers, in 3 places
  • Hodgkin's own summary sentence before the letter's quoted words (cut, listed)
  • A pedigree or family table that Hodgkin draws in place of text (his diagram, not Cassiodorus's words) (16 blocks)
  • The closing line 'THE END.' (house style: left out and listed)
  • The printer's imprint (2 blocks)