[Sidenote: The Praefecture.]

'All men have known you as Praefect of the Praetorian throne, a
dignity which all other public employments wait upon like lacqueys.
For from this high office, ways and means for the army are demanded;
from this, without any regard for the difficulty of the times, the
food of the people is required; on this, a weight of judicial
responsibility is thrown, which would be by itself a heavy burden. Now
the law, which has thrown this immense load on the Praefect's office,
has, on the other hand, honoured him by putting almost all things
under his control. In truth, what interval of leisure could you snatch
from your public labours, when into your single breast flowed every
claim which could be made on behalf of the common good of all?

[Sidenote: The Quaestorship.]

'We must add, moreover, that when you were on frequent occasions
charged with the office of the Quaestorship, the leisure which you
might have enjoyed was taken from you by your own constant
thoughtfulness for the public good; and when you were thus bearing the
weight of an honour which was not the highest, your Sovereigns used to
lay upon you those duties, properly belonging to other offices, which
their own holders were unable to discharge[196]. All these duties you
discharged with absolute freedom from corruption, following your
father's example in receiving, from those who hoped for your favour,
nothing but the obligation to serve them, and bestowing on petitioners
all that they had a right to ask for without traffic or reward.

[Footnote 196: 'Addimus etiam quod frequenter Quaesturae vicibus
ingravato otii tempus adimit crebra cogitatio, et velut mediocribus
fascibus insudanti, illa tibi de aliis honoribus principes videntur
imponere, quae proprii Judices nequeunt explicare.' This is probably
the clearest account that is anywhere given of the peculiar and
somewhat undefined position held by Cassiodorus during the greater
part of the reign of Theodoric.]

[Sidenote: Intimacy with Theodoric.]

'Moreover, men know that the conversations which you were honoured by
holding with the King occupied a large portion of your days, greatly
to the public welfare[197], so that men of leisure have no right to
expect that their requirements shall be met by you, whose day was thus
occupied with continuous toil[198]. But in truth this will redound yet
more to your glory, if amid so many and such severe labours you
succeed in writing that