Letter 1016: Your Brotherhood could have rendered my love a service that would have profited with the true liberality of the...

Ennodius to Florianus. This your brotherly affection could have spent upon my love, namely that with true generosity it might profit, to the advantage of the giver and to my modesty, in this respect: that, since you already held in hand the letter that bears witness to my zeal, you might suspend yourself from the labor of writing. Does anyone paint his brow with colored enticements and undermine his reputation with a forceful assault, and, not content with a plain excuse, judge that what he has proved is insufficient for a badly credulous conscience? Who with the varied flavor of his discourse provokes the throats of greedy friends, so that, while he sets out winning things, he exchanges the matters that had been settled? For after I had written back that I love silence, I obtained, as if in reply to my plea, more copious pages, and after my refusal I drew forth the richness of an eloquence that had perhaps long been laid away. What would you do, if I had promised contests, if I had incautiously touched with any tooth whatsoever the fervor of your studies, and, no fit judge of myself, had not kept your inner sanctuaries safe? There would have been brought against me, I believe, the depth of the Tullian whirlpool [Cicero's profundity], the distinctive quality of Crispus [Sallust], the elegance of Varro, nor would I have found support on any side, I to whom not even this profited: that I escaped neither the contentions of writing, nor, when I kept silent, being provoked. Even if the consciousness of skill and the vigor of speaking should raise me up, after the various perils of those who write I would dread the praise which you all seek with much sweat. To this is added that you said there was rhetorical cunning in me, though it is long since the emotion of my discourse cut away the oratorical figure from me, and I am not able to be occupied with the flowers of words, I whom the cry of duty summons to groanings and prayers. Restrain therefore the soothing and ill-counseling charms of your discourse. If the things you write are feigned and adorned with the brush of falsehood, change your purpose, even after you see that the mind has come to know what you have done; if they are true and descend from the scale of judgment, shut them up in the deep secret of your breast, so that you may display reverence for diligence while you keep matters intact for your friend. Keeping for me an unchangeable heart, soothe others with your discourses. Behold, while I desire to answer your lengthy pages, I have overstepped the proper measure of a letter. But a special fault is not to be punished with a special penalty, since it has its author among errors. My lord, restoring the greeting that is owed, I pray that, if you nimbly insert yourself as a searcher into my desires which I have conceived out of love of silence, you may at least pardon the occupations by which we are hindered.

XVI. FLORIANO ENNODIVS. Illud fraternitas tua amori meo potuisset inpendere, quod uera liberalitate cum tribuentis conpendio proficeret et pudori, in ea scilicet parte, ut cum indices studii mei litteras iam teneres, ab scriptionis te cura suspenderes. quisquamne coloratis frontem pingit inlecebris et famam ualida inpugnatione labefactat nec manifesta excusatione contentus, male credulae conscientiae sufficere non aestimat quod probauit ? qui uario sapore conloquii edacium amicorum fauces inritat, ut dum blanda subicit, definita permutet. nam postquam me silentium amare rescripseram, quasi pro allegationis responso prolixiores paginas inpetraui et diu forte repositum post negationem meam eloquii uber elicui. quid faceres, si certamina promisissem, si studiorum tuorum feruorem quocumque dente incautus adtingerem nec mei idoneus existimator penetralia tuta seruarem ? adhibita credo aduersus me fuisset Tulliani profunditas gurgitis, Crispi proprietas, Varronis elegantia, nec in ulla inuenissem parte subsidium, cui nec illud profuit, quod scribendi contentiones, nec cum reticerem lacessitus, effugi. me etsi peritiae conscientia et dicendi uigor adtolleret, post diuersa scribentum discrimina laudem, quam multo sudore uos petitis, 1 occupatione L potui. T scribsi B 2 desidenas B XVI. 6 cum tribuentis BLV, contribuentis PTb . compendio LTV 7 indeces B, iudices Pb 8 tenebres ab scribtionis B suspenderes Pb, suspenderis BLTV quiaquam nec T 9 illecebris T ia in ras . 10 maIae BLT 14 rescribseram B, scripseram P\'b alligationis B 15 impetraui LTV 16 aeloquii B faceris B 17 incaustus B attingerem LP TV 18 exestimator LV, aestimator B 20 crispi Bb, crisippi LPTV propriętas L uarronis BLPlTV, maronis P\'b eligantia B 21 illut B 8. 1 . 23 attolleret LPTV 24 scribentium PTb petistis T formidarem. huc accedit, quod rhetoricam in me dixisti esse uersutiam, cum diu sit quod oratorium schema affectus a me orationis absciderit et nequeam occupari uerborum floribus, quem ad gemitus et preces euocat clamor officii. delenifica ergo et malesuada conpesce conloquii. si ficta sunt quae scribis et peniculo decorata mendacii, muta propositum, uel posteaquam uides mentem innotuisse quae feceris: si uera sunt et a iudicii lance descendunt, profundo ea pectoris include secreto, ut reuerentiam diligentiae, dum amico res integras seruas, exhibeas. mihi inmutabile cor custodiens alios demulce conloquiis. ecce epistulae modum, dum productae paginae cupio respondere, transcendi. sed non est culpa speciali plectenda supplicio, quae in erratis habet auctorem. domine mi, salutationem debendam restituens precor, ut si desideriis meis, quae de amore taciturnitatis concepi, pernix te scrutator interseris, saltem occupationibus, quibus inpedimur, ignoscas.