ssage of our army. [The army of Ibbas, on its
march in 408 to fight Clovis, after the fall of the Visigothic
Monarchy.] True, that army went forth with shouts of concord to
_liberate_ Gaul. But so a river bursting forth may irrigate and
fertilise a whole country, and yet destroy the increase of that
particular channel in which its waters run.

'We have earned new subjects by that campaign: we do not wish them to
suffer loss by it. Our own heart whispers to us the request which the
subjects dare not utter to their Prince.'

37. KING THEODORIC TO THE ILLUSTRIOUS WOMAN THEODAGUNDA.

[Sidenote: Theodagunda is admonished to do justice to Renatus.]

Warns Theodagunda [apparently a member of the royal family and
governing some Province; but what place could she hold in the Roman
official hierarchy?], that she must emulate the virtue of her
ancestors and show prompt obedience to the royal commands. 'The
lamentable petition of Renatus states that, after judgment given in
his favour by the King's Court, he is still harassed by the litigation
(not in the way of regular appeal) of Inquilina, who appears to be not
so much desirous of victory as anxious to ruin his adversary.'
[Notwithstanding the form of the name I think Inquilina is male, not
female.]

'You must see that this is put right at once.'

38. KING THEODORIC TO FAUSTUS, PRAETORIAN PRAEFECT.

[Sidenote: Taxes must be reduced to the figure at which they stood in
the days of Odoacer.]

'The inhabitants of Gravasi (?) and Ponto (?) complain that they have
been overloaded with taxes by the Assessors (discussores) Probus and
Januarius. They have bad land, and say that they really cannot cope
with the taxes imposed upon them [at the last Indiction?]. The former
practice is to be reverted to, and they are not to be called upon to
pay more than they did in the days of Odoacer.' [An evidence that in
one case at least the fiscal yoke of Odoacer was lighter than that of
his successor.]

39. KING THEODORIC TO THEODAHAD, VIR ILLUSTRIS [AND NEPHEW OF THE
KING].

[Sidenote: The encroachments of Theodahad repressed.]

'Avarice, which Holy Writ declares to be "the root of all evil," is a
vulgar vice which you, our kinsman, a man of Amal blood, whose family
is known to be royal, are especially bound to avoid[352].

[Footnote 352: 'Amali sanguinis virum nos decet vulgare desiderium:
quia genus suum conspicit esse purpuratum.']

'The Spectabilis Domitius complains to us