'Our presence and that of our Court (Comitatus) attracts many spectators and petitioners to those parts, for whose maintenance an extra effort must be made.' [See Dahn, 'Koenige der Germanen' iii. 282.] 21. KING THEODORIC TO JOANNES THE APPARITOR. [Sidenote: A concession too timidly acted upon.] 'The King has conceded to the Spectabiles Spes and Domitius a certain tract of land which was laid waste by wide and muddy streams, and which neither showed a pure expanse of water nor had preserved the comeliness of solid earth, for them to reclaim and cultivate. 'The petition of the _Actores_ of Spes sets forth that the operation is put in jeopardy by the ill-timed parsimony of Domitius, which throws back the labourers to the point from which they set out at first[258]. Therefore let Domitius be stirred up to finish his part of the work, or if he thinks that too expensive, let him throw up his share of the concession and allow his partner to work it out.' [Footnote 258: 'Cum jam in soli faciem paulatim mollities siccata duresceret, celatamque longa voracitate tellurem sol insuetus afflaret.' I cannot understand these words. I suppose there was a hard cake of clay left when the water was drained off, which was baked by the sun, and that there should have been further digging to work through this stratum and get at the good soil beneath; but the wording is not very clear.] [We find in this letter a good motto for Theodoric's reign: 'Nos quibus cordi est in melius cuncta mutare.'] 22. KING THEODORIC TO FESTUS, VIR ILLUSTRIS AND PATRICIAN. [Sidenote: Ecdicius to be buried by his sons.] 'The sons of Ecdicius, whom at first we had ordered to reside in the city, are to be allowed to return to their own country in order to bury their father. That grief is insatiable which feels that it has been debarred from rendering the last offices to the dead. Think at what risk of his life Priam implored the raging Achilles to give him back the body of his son.' [Apparently the sons of Ecdicius, not Ecdicius himself, had fallen into disgrace with Theodoric, or incurred some suspicion of disloyalty, which led to the rigorous order for their detention in Rome. See Dahn iii. 279-280.] 23. KING THEODORIC TO AMPELIUS, DESPOTIUS, AND THEODULUS, SENATORS. [Sidenote: Protection for owners of potteries.] 'It befits the discipline of our time that those who are serving the public interests shall not be loaded with superfluous burdens. Labour therefore diligently at the potteries (figulinae) which our Royal authority has conceded to you. Protection is hereby promised against the wiles of wicked men.' [What was the nature of the artifices to which they were exposed is not very clear.] 24. KING THEODORIC TO THE SENATE OF THE CITY OF ROME. [Sidenote: Arrears of taxation due from Senators.]