Letter 10026: The question of how to live well in a world that is changing faster than one can adapt to it is one that occupies me...

It is indeed an established custom, our lords and emperors [the address ddd. imppp. = domini imperatores, i.e. Gratian, Valentinian II, and Theodosius], that out of love of good faith and zeal for the truth Your Clemency should recall to a constant examination matters already often investigated; but when the most distinguished Auxentius and Cyriades, the count and engineer of equal rank, are at variance with one another in a certain mutual contention, some discredit is thereby cast upon the judges who preceded. For some time ago the distinguished and illustrious Auchenius Bassus, having inspected the work of the new bridge, recorded in the drawing up of the official acts the fault or the diligence of each individual; afterwards his successor, having again examined the same places, asserts the same. Then, when in my presence, on the strength of the rescript which the distinguished Cyriades had obtained, they were disputing in a renewed inquiry, and when at their own insistence I had decided that an investigation by formal discussion should look into both the expenditure and the construction of each, the distinguished Auxentius suddenly abandoned the proceeding. As I was about to send a report concerning his conduct, such as the anxiety over the interrupted work demanded, I once more received other decrees of Your Divinity, by which you joined to my inquiry the distinguished and praiseworthy vicarius, so that, with both of us sitting in session, the alleged defects of the bridge might be investigated. Nor was obedience lacking to your commands. And so, the distinguished Aphrodisius, tribune and notary, to whom after the distinguished Auxentius the charge of the new constructions had been entrusted, having been brought in, an inquiry was held concerning those men who had laid the foundations of that same bridge; and thus it was established that a short and separate section, begun at the onset of winter, had collapsed through the force of the river, the cost of which the craftsmen estimated at a definite sum of twenty solidi. But the falling of that section, inasmuch as it was still detached from the rest of the structure, seems to have brought no damage to the more distant parts; and the distinguished Cyriades promises that it can be repaired with an easy construction. After this, the examination of another place detected a gaping joint of the stones, which Cyriades, the count and engineer, suggested had been so laid by his own design and according to the principle of his craft, in order that, when the liquid of the materials [i.e. mortar or grout] was afterwards poured in, the gaping parts might be drawn tight together. Whereas the diligence of his successor ought to have done this, it is said rather to have aimed instead that all the openings should be stopped up with bundles of hay and broom-fiber, so as to bring odium upon the original builder. When he was establishing this by the reading aloud of the records, the diver-craftsman did not indeed deny the deed, but asserted that a remedy of this kind was a provision arising from the practice of the work, not for the dishonoring of the distinguished Cyriades. Then, disturbed by the variety of the responses, we restrained the man who was inconsistent with his earlier statements; but he said that Cyriades had for some time been a terror to him. This does not seem credible, since the examining magistrate of that earlier time arrived at the assurance of the truth by a rigorous inquiry. Meanwhile the distinguished Cyriades suggested that the progress of repairing the work was easy, and that, as has been asserted, a third winter had not undone its stability. He himself, moreover, laid before the court certain matters concerning the buildings of the distinguished Auxentius and concerning the misappropriation of an excessive amount of gold, which it has accordingly seemed proper to attach to the pages of the official records, so that Your Eternity, having patiently heard all things in their order, may deign to provide in what manner, the rivalry of the contending parties being suppressed, regard may be had both for the integrity of the expenditures and for the soundness of the work.