Averroes' Paraphrase of Plato's Republic

Although I understood that there was nothing in me that might appear worthy of the great majesty of Your Holiness, I still thought that less blame would remain with me if I revealed my will to you by even the smallest argument, than if I uttered no words at all, by which I might completely vindicate myself from the suspicion of ingratitude. For every excellent person ought to prefer to appear inept rather than ungrateful, for that fault can never be washed away, whereas this other is corrected by the humanity of him to whom gratitude is owed. For this reason, I decided to dedicate to Your Holiness these commentaries of Averroes Ibn Rushd of Cordoba on Plato's Republic, now for the first time rendered into Latin by me: not because I think they pertain to the affairs of Your Holiness, who all know to be devoted to letters from childhood and to have progressed marvelously in the science of governance when age permitted, but so that I might be free of fault. This would surely have remained most heavy upon me if I did not render an account of my studies to the best and wisest prince, to whom I have always hoped they would be owed from the beginning of my age, and to whom all letters and their professors admit they owe a great deal. I trust that this plan of mine will not be disapproved of by Your Holiness, so much so that I think I shall attain praise—which would certainly be doubtful to me based on the merit of my study—as most certain through the humanity of Your Holiness alone. Furthermore, what reason a Peripatetic a follower of Aristotle's school of philosophy had to undertake the translation of Plato's dialogues on the Republic will be explained at the very beginning of the work itself.
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