Et quoniam adest liber locus dicendi quae sentimus, aperte loquemur: hunc imperatorem omnium primum in maius militares fastus ad damna rerum auxisse communium, dignitates opesque eorum sublimius erigentem, et quod erat publice privatimque dolendum, indeflexa saevitia punientem gregariorum errata, parcentem potioribus, qui tamquam peccatis indulta licentia, ad labes delictorum immanium consurgebant; qui ex eo altius anhelantes, ex nutu suo indistanter putant omnium pendere fortunas.
But since I have a free opportunity of saying what I think, I shall declare openly that Valentinian was the first of all emperors to increase the arrogance of the military, to the injury of the commonwealth, by raising their rank and power to excess; moreover (a thing equally to be deplored, both publicly and privately), he punished the peccadilloes of the common soldiers with unbending severity, while sparing those of higher rank; so that these assumed that they had complete licence for their sins, and were aroused to shameful and monstrous crimes. In consequence, they are so arrogant as to believe that the fortunes of all without distinction are dependent on their nod.
final_alignments\Ammianus_Marcellinus_Book27.json