Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 2 - Government, Society, and Culture in the Roman Empire

Emperors at Work 13

hourshealwaysdevotedtosubscribingandreadingletters,whiletheoffi-
cials in charge of the correspondence [ab epistulis], the petitions [a libellis],
and records [a memoria]werealwaysinattendance...withtheclerks and
thosehandlingtherecordoffice[scrinium]re-readingeverythingtohim,in
suchawaythatAlexanderwouldaddwithhisownhandwhateverwasto
beadded,adoptingtheopinion[sententia]ofthemanwhowasregardedas
themostexpert.’’^77 Asregardsadditionsbytheemperor’shandtotheactual
substanceofaletterwedonotseemtohaveanyunambiguousevidenceto
supportthisobviouslydubioussource.Butasregardsasentenceofgreeting
writtenonattheendofaletterwehavethecleartestimonyoftheinscrip-
tion from Brigetiowith the letter written by Constantine and Licinius in
311toDalmatiusontheprivilegiaofsoldiers,whichends‘‘andinthedivine
hand:‘Farewell,Dalmatius,dearesttous’’’(et manu divina: Vale Dalmati caris-
sime nobis).^78 Imperiallettersnormallyindeedendwithaphraseofgreeting,
often just ‘‘bewell’’ or ‘‘good luck’’ or ‘‘I wish you well’’ but sometimes a
littlelonger,asinCaracalla’sletterof213toAureliusJulianusofPhiladelphia:
‘‘Bewell,Iulianus,mostesteemed,anddearesttome.’’^79 Theadditionofa
wholesentenceratherthanasinglewordorbriefphraseseemstohavebeen
normalinthefourthcentury.Constantine’slettersendwithsentenceslike,
‘‘Godwillprotectyou,belovedbrother,’’^80 or‘‘Farewellmydearestbrothers
by the common prayer, God ordaining through the ages.’’^81 None of these
addedsentencescarriesanyexplicitindicationthattheyarewrittenbythe
emperor; though a letter of Constantine to Arius and his followers in 333
ends,‘‘andinadifferenthand:‘Godwillprotectyou,belovedbrothers.’’’^82
Butthesuppositionthattheywerewrittenbytheemperors,combinedwith
thefactoftheirincreaseinlength,wouldenableustounderstandapuzzling
phraseusedbytheHistoria AugustaofCommodus:‘‘[I]nmanyofhisletters
hemerelywrotetheword‘farewell.’’’^83 Theimpliedcriticismwouldthusbe
amisunderstanding.
Such asubscriptiois also presumably what is meant when Dio gives the
evidenceforthedeathofTrajanbeforeadoptingHadrian:‘‘Thiswasshown

77.HA,Sev. Alex.31,1.

78.FIRA^2 I,93.

79.IGRIV,1619bSyll.^3 883.

80. Euseb.,Vit. Const. 2, 46, 3; similar phrases appear in the numerous other letters
    quotedinthiswork.


81. Optatus.,App.IX,adfin.


82. Opitz,Athanasius WerkeIII,1,doc.34,adfin.(p.75).
    83.HA,Com.13,7.