Era
Vol. 1: A seculo VI usque ad 803
Series
Date
Between 537 and 538 according to Mommsen; between 536 and 537 according to Tanzi
Regestum

Cassiodorus, as praetorian prefect, sends Lawrence to Istria to examine the harvests and prepare a report of the yields in order for the taxes to be determined.

Source
Cassiodorus, Variae, liber XII, epistola 23; original autograph is lost; numerous manuscript copies exist, see edition and this link; The edition is based on the following manuscript:
B = Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, ms. lat. 2186: Cassiodorus, Variae II, fol. 43r; early 13th-century copy, digitized and available online.
Previous Editions
Theodor Mommsen (ed.), Cassiodori senatoris Variae, Monumenta Germaniae historica, Scriptores, Auctores antiquissimi 12 (Berlin 1894), p. 379.
FIM Edition
Diplomatic edition based on B.
Transcription

Laurentio viro experientissimo senator praefectus praetorio.

Deliberacio iudicis probatos viros debet publicis actionibus adhibere, ut facile possit impleri quod sub sterilitate temporis videtur inquiri. In habundancia rerum quaelibet se potest expedire persona: electis opus est militibus, cum fuerit necessitatis impulsus. Atque ideo experientiam tuam frequentibus nobisque tali devocione gratissimam ad Histriam provinciam iubemus excurrere, ut in tot solidos vini, olei vel tritici species de tributario solido debeas procurare. In aliis vero tot solidis, quos a nostro archario percepisti, tam a negotiatoribus quam a possessoribus emere maturabis, sicut te a numerariis instruxit porrecta noticia.

Quapropter erige nunc animos ad parendum, qui tantis excubiis indiscreta sorte placuisti. Ammoneat te prioris conversacionis exemplum, quia nimis grave est emeritum delinquere, quem tyronem nullatenus constat errasse. Qualis autem supra dictarum specierum ubertas se optata laxaverit, veraci nobis, ut de te credimus, relacione significa, ut nos habito modo constituere debeamus quod nec provinciales ledat nec publicas gravare possit expensas.

Selected Bibliography
Carlo Tanzi, "Studio sulla cronologia dei libri ‘Variorum’ di Cassiodorio senatore," Archeografo triestino, ser. 2, 13 (1887): pp. 1–37.
Robert Matijašić, "Kasiodorova pisma kao izvor za poznavanje kasnoantičke povijesti Istre" [Cassiodorus’ letters as a source for the knowledge of Late Antique history of Istria], Zgodovinski časopis 42/3 (1988): pp. 363–371.
Andrej Novak, L'Istria nella prima età bizantina, Collana degli Atti 27 (Rovinj 2007), pp. 41-64.
Hrvoje Gračanin, "Nova kontekstualizacija starog vrela: Kasiodorove Variae o kasnoantičkoj Istri / A New Contextualization of an Old Source: Cassiodorus’ Variae on Late Antique Istria," Miscellanea Hadriatica et Mediterranea 6 (2019): pp. 9–34.
Editor's Notes

The letter forms a part of the series of letters issued by Cassiodorus as praetorian prefect regarding the agricultural situation in Istria. See more here.

How to Cite
First citation: Josip Banić (ed.), Fontes Istrie medievalis, vol. 1: A seculo VI usque ad 803, doc. 537_CV2, fontesistrie.eu/537_CV2 (last access: date).
Subsequent citations: FIM, 1: doc. 537_CV3
Facsimile
Image Source and Info

The image was downloaded from the official webpage of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

The editor has subsequently inserted a red arrow on the folio to mark the parts of the manuscript that refer to the letter hereby edited.

The image remains under the copyright of its respective institution.