Letter 6014: I can see you're still wondering whether the confiscation of property followed Rufinus's punishment [Rufinus was a...
I see that you are in doubt whether the punishment of Rufinus [Flavius Rufinus, the praetorian prefect killed in 395] was also followed by the confiscation of his estate. The proof is at hand, attested by the imperial decrees; and yet, given the deserts of so long-standing a brigand, there could be no doubt for those weighing the matter that the treasury would crave the plunder of the whole world. And would that a failure of the grain supply did not clamor against so great a joy, a failure which no fresh access of new harvest relieves. Besides, the very quality of the food breeds revulsion and corrupts the health of our bodies, and such nourishment is more grievous to people than the penalty of fasting. Amid these troubles the populace is consoled by the hope of grain offered by the senators [the fathers], and the dutiful goodwill of the leading men preserves the harmony of the community. Now there is need of prayers, that divine aid may bring in the supplies, while the safety of the citizens is being sustained by private contribution. [Letter] XV (XVI), winter 395/6.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
10 Dubitare vos video, an Kufini poenam secuta sit etiam publicatio facultatum.
fides praesto est imperialibus signata praeceptis; et tamen praedonis annosi merita
pendentibus non fuit ambigendum, quod spolia orbis desideraret aerarium. atque 2
utinam tanto gaudio non obstreperet defectus annonae, quem nulla producit novae
firugis accessio. praeterea ipsius cibi qualitas gignit horrorem, cormmpit valetudinem
i& corpomm, graviorque hominibus talis alimonia quam poena ieiunii. solatur inter haec 3
populum spes frumenti a patribus oblati, et religiosa optimatium voluntas tenet con-
cordiam civitatis. nunc votis opus est, ut divina opitulatio invehat commeatus, dum
salus civium privata conlatione producitur.
XV (XVI) hieme 395/6.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern symmachus retranslated v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://archive.org/details/qaureliisymmach00seecgoog
Related Letters
(Basil the Great died Jan. 1, a.d. 379.
The man who preserves Helladius's household by his tireless efforts is this Martyrius here.
Although I am at home, my love is expatriated with you, for affection makes us have all things common. Trusting in the mercy of God, and in your prayers, I have great hopes that all will turn out according to your mind, and that the hurricane will be turned into a gentle breeze, and that God will give you this reward for your orthodoxy, that you...
[To Paulinus]
An explanation of the Hebrew words Ephod bad 1 Samuel 2:18 and Teraphim Judges 17:5. Written at Rome to Marcella, also at Rome A.D. 384.