Letter 1022: **From:** Ennodius, deacon of Pavia

Your Greatness had begun to lift up my littleness with the hope of an esteem that would surpass my prayers, and after the manner of a heavenly ordinance to make your benefits more illustrious, while you weighed my merits in no balance of judgment, or, heedless of strict scrutiny, to set a price upon gifts which you showed to be undeserved, since the affection that is displayed toward the lowly has no constraint, and signifies its own character through a clear sky with ruddy splendor. For a long while, therefore, propped up after God by such confidence, I feared nothing of whatever the poisons of detractors held out. But when your forgetfulness brought me back to the old dust, which is wont to befall those stripped of a defender as their only solace, I sent forth letters, as it were the loud accusers of complaints, promising myself a reply on account of their importunity. But perhaps through the mounting load of hindering occupations your Greatness signifies that you do not come to these duties. I will retort that the condition of your Eminence, who not long ago dispatched pages to me, was the same. Yet I bring myself back to the custom of epistolary composition, lest the prolixity I have heaped on add weariness, and lest the very plea that demanded pages should rather cause pages to be refused me. My lord, I render the homage of my greeting, and, bound in spirit, I inquire about your health, desiring through the token of your report to attain my twofold longings.

XXII. OPILIONI ENNODIVS. Coeperat paruitatem meam magnitudo uestra spe, quae uota transiret, dignationis adtollere et caelestis instituti more 1 mestitiam BLTV mi T i in ras . 2 gerolum presentium B -ūc. BL, nunc Pb caras meas B 3 aolites B1 I I snscepite BV1, suscipte T pte in ras . 5 predictus B XXI. 9 aduentum PlT 10 indicio Pb 11 consueta. officia Sirm . 12 qua.nquam LV 13 snbpraesserim B 14 eero B, refero b et Sirm. merore BLPTV 16 expectat* T t\' in ras . allabitor LTV solatio LT 17 praecor F1 18 eorum B, meorum LPTVb 19 medilla B 21 literarum T XXII. 25 ceperat T 26 attollere LV, attoleret T1 VL 3 clariora facere beneficia sua, dum mea merita nulla iudicii lance pensabat, uel censurae neglegens dare pretium muneribus, quae esse monstrabat indebita, quoniam affectio, quae circa humiles exhibetur, non habet necessitatem et speciem suam per sudum rutilanti splendore significat. diu ergo tali fultus post deum praesumptione non timui quicquid obloquentium toxica promittebant. ast ubi me ad antiquum puluerem uestri reduxit obliuio, quod in solacio solet nudatis defensore contingere, quasi querelarum perlatrices litteras prorogaui, promittens mihi de earum inportunitate responsum. sed per occupationum forsitan amplitudo uestra praepedientium incrementa significat ad haec uos officia non uenire. replicabo, quia idem status fuit culminis uestri dudum paginas destinantis. ad morem tamen scriptionis epistulariae me reduco, ne addat prolixitas ingesta fastidium et denegari paginas faciat magis allegatio quae poposcit. domine mi, salutationis obsequium soluo et de ualitudine uestra ut animo obligatus interrogo, cupiens relationis indicio ad gemina desideria peruenire.