Letter 2010: If the heavenly ruler had looked at my merit, I would have received scant blessings — or none at all.

If the heavenly ruler attended to my merit, I would obtain either small blessings or great punishments, and as a competent assessor of myself, I would not reach by desire where I could not arrive by merits. But thanks to him who so prunes our offenses lest we be exalted, yet extends hope to wider things. These preludes are owed to the compositions of Lord Avienus, who, not yet restored to good health, had loosened the chain of anxiety from my soul, while amid hope and fear our vows hung anxious. Looking to nature, he showed with what eloquence he would thunder. By judgment indeed I had anticipated these things, and I recognized in the treasures it had produced the vein of the mine that nourishes noble metal. But even in this, sinner that I am, I scarcely believed that what I did not deserve to attain could come to pass. I speak the truth with divine clemency as my witness: if there are any in Liguria who are able to judge by the genius and splendor of letters, they believed that you labored over that composition which, prejudging his age, a sense already gray in a boy had perfected. But I said these things more to those for whom either shed blood has enrolled them in the white list of the heavenly court or a shining confession — that they may confirm our beginnings with favorable successes. Greeting you with the humility and service of a servant, I wish that amid all things, while you relax your mind with these, you may rejoice in the misfortunes of your adversaries. For there is nothing in which we can feel the losses of our enemies. God has bestowed this upon us: what earthly envy cannot take away.

X. ENNODIVS FAVSTO. Meritum meum regnator caelestis si adtenderet, aut exigua bona adipiscerer aut magna supplicia et mei idoneus aestimator, quo meritis peruenire non poteram, uoto non tenderem. sed gratias illi, qui delicta nostra sic ne extollamur resecat, ut spem ad latiora perducat. domni Auieni dictionibus a me debentur ista praeloquia., qui necdum ad bonam ualitudinem reductus animum meum sollicitudinis catena laxauerat, dum adhuc inter spem et metum anxii uota penderent. naturam respiciens indicauit quo tonaret eloquio. iudicio quidem ista praeceperam et altricem nobilis metalli uenam in thesauris quos pepererat agnoscebam. sed etiam in hoc peccator euenire uix credidi quod adsequi non merebar. uerum dico teste diuina clementia, si sunt aliqui in Liguria, qui de litterarum possint 2 licit aneri B\' 3 depingunt B renis L 4 puppia B, pupee T iobantnr B 6 iobatur B 7 colligia B 8 salutationis T apnt B 10 ut] et uel uel fort actinns B 11 protnlestiB Bl L hanc epist. om. T, add. in mg. man. rec. hie deã cpim 14 si meritum B caelestisi V si om. B 15 adepiscezer B 17 ne] non L 18 domini b aneni V, auini L 22 indeeaait V1, indeeasuet B, indioauit Pb 98 praeeiperam B, perceperam Pb thensanria B 24 peperat B 26 glvria L . possint LPV, poesent B, possnnt b VL 4 genio et splendore iudicare, uos crediderunt in illa dictione laborasse, quam aetati praeiudicans canus iam in puero sensus excoluit. sed ista magis illis cum lacrimoso gaudio dixi, quos aut effusus sanguis albo curiae caelestis adscripsit aut clara confessio, qui secundis confirment primordia nostra successibus. uos famuli humilitate et obsequio salutans opto inter quaeuis, dum istis animum relaxatis, aduersariorum mala gaudere. nihil est enim, in quo inimicorum possimus damna sentire. hoc nobis deus contulit, quod inuidia terrena non subtrahat.