Letter 2004: Avitus, bishop, to the most illustrious Aurelianus.

From: Avitus, bishop of Vienne To: Aurelianus, an illustrious man Date: ~500 AD Context: A philosophical letter consoling Aurelianus during turbulent times, warning him not to mistake a brief lull in suffering for a genuine end to trouble — and urging him to place his hope in eternity rather than the false security of worldly peace. Avitus, bishop, to the most illustrious Aurelianus. It is a clear sign of some small prosperity that, with the warmth of friendly affection briefly breaking through, we are visited by the semblance of a temporary peace. And yet that flood of suffering you compared to the storms of our times continues to press upon human affairs with the constant surge of unrelenting disturbance as we sail through this worldly sea. In truth, the breathing room we enjoy between adversities should be considered an interval in our troubles rather than their end. For a kind of peace seems to flatter us only to the extent that it contains our calamities rather than curing them — so that minds relaxed by a deceptive sense of security may be struck all the harder by renewed fear and recurring grief. So stop believing, my excellent friend, that the end of evils has come in the midst of burning troubles. When the face of the storm softens with shifting motion and a glimpse of the slightest calm alternates with it, do not delight in the variety of outcomes — use them. And do not let either prosperity lift you up or adversity break you down so much that the cause of your friendships changes with the times. Remember always the love you have pledged. If you can, write. If that is not possible, then do what cannot be prevented: love. And after the whirlpools you described so well in your letter, place your hope for a harbor all the more in that world where the longed-for calm can never fear shipwreck.

Avitus episcopus viro illustrissimo Aureliano. Indicium quidem quantulaecnmque prosperitatis esse manifestum est, quod ami- corum affectu tantisper illucescente temporariae pacis colore visitamur. Verum tamen aestus ille diluvii, quem procellis temporalibus comparastis, humanis rebus, dum per mundanum pelagus curritur, fluctu adsiduae perturbationis insistit. Quandoquidem hoc ipsum; quod inter adversitates temporum respiramus, discriminum, quae patimur, inter- vallum magis debemus putare quam terminum. Nam idcirco tantum incommodis calamitatum circumscribendis potius quam sanandis pax quaedam videtur adludere, ut mentes fallaci securitate laxatas instaurato gravius metu succiduus gemitus adficiat. Quo circa desiste, vir optime, in malis ferventibus credere finem malorum, et cum se motu dissimili tempestate mollita facies tantillae serenitatis alternat, varietate pro- ventuum non delectare, sed utere. Nec sic te aut prosperitas erigat aut frangat ad- versitas, ut animis tuis tam amicorum mutetur causa quam temporum. Mementote semper propositae caritatis; si licet, scribite: sin alias, quod prohiberi non potest, vel amate. Et post gurgites, quos litteris descripsistis, in eo magis saeculo sperate por- tum, quo timere non poterit tranquillitas optata naufragium.