Letter 2012: Your Eminence fulfills the prophetic oracles with your own conduct and wages war against the authority of ancient...

From: Ennodius, deacon and literary figure in Pavia To: Asturius Date: ~502 AD Context: A letter to Asturius, opening with the striking claim that Asturius's own behavior proves the truth of prophetic teaching — a characteristically Ennodian blend of compliment and reproach. Ennodius to Asturius. Your Eminence fulfills the prophetic oracles with your own conduct and wages war against the authority of ancient laws through fresh transgressions. You have taken care that the warning should not grow dull by subtracting its force through neglect. For it is written by God's servants that the teaching of the wise must pass through the ears of the prudent, drawing them in with the savor of seasoned speech — and that admonition is wasted on those whose minds are fixed on other things. Humble in rank and poor in tongue, I had previously offered my words only under the spur of kinship and returned a frank reply, with the freedom that blood allows, to your earlier letter. Now my spirit is troubled, because the wounds I tried to address have only grown deeper. I write again — not because I expect a different result, but because silence in the face of a friend's error would be a worse failure than speaking and being ignored. Farewell.

XII. ENNODIVS ASTVRIO. Propheticis oraculis sublimitas tua praestat obsequium et ad fidem ueterum sanctionum militat nouellis excessibus. prouidisti ne segnior admonitio remaneret ualitudine subtracta neglectui. scriptum enim est per dei cultores, quorum aures prudentum debeat doctrina transire, quos salsi sermonis sapore pertrahere, allegans perire monita, quae in alia constitutis deliberatione praestantur. ego tamen loco humilis, lingua mendicus solis antea necessitudinis stimulis uerba concessi et ad contestationem diligentiae prioribus litteris exhibuisub sanguinis libertate responsum. nunc male est animo, quod iniuriarum a 1 hostrum BLPTV nobilitas L hac actenus B 2 locutuset (et fort. eras.) L 3 perdere B, pendere LPTVb perlatorS B \' add. corr . 6 hominabos L1 7 miscere scripei, mieceri BLPTVb dico illo dico T 8 nec credo fort . 9 inscicia T in ras . m. 2 meo B 10 mihi BL V reuerentie ur ̃ ę (ę ur ̃ ę in ras.) V 11 neque Bb, om. LPTV negligentia B1T; mea add. T Md m.2 exp . nec Pb XII. 14 astirio T 15 profoticis BLPV 17 ne] me PlTl senior B nalitndine sabtracta T tn ras. m. 2 18 neolectui Bl ut uid. est enim T 19 prudentium Tb debaeat L h falsi PTlb 20 pertraere B alligans B moneta B 2& exibui B 4* fructu carens sumpsisti forsitan mentita apud te urbanitate iactantiam, nesciens quod auctorem repetunt tela, quae indocilis aduersus alterum manus emiserit, quis putet contumeliam, quae solam conscientiam destinantis adfligit? inproborum natura est, hoc sentire de omnibus quod merentur et in malis solacium nusquam uidere innocentiam. tormenta sunt maculatae conuersationis non sibi credere esse participes. haec illa mente descripsi, qua memor propositi odium conpellor debere criminibus. nullum dens meus nisi de se tetigit confitentem: dum uitia incessimus, reum ira manifestat. nam iniurius sim, si stili loco uomerem sentiam aut mihi scripta conputem quae relegens non agnosco. scit enim dominus quia, si non nostro nomine notata fuisset epistula, ad quem fuisset directa nescirem. tibi habe facetias tuas aut illis reserua, cum quibus uobis sine oris officio per clandestinae familiaritatis communionem clamor est actuum. ecce salutationis honorificentiam soluens deprecor, ut in dirigendis epistulis loca tempora personas adtendas, ne quod ego ad me scriptum non conputo alterum forsitan laedat, quia aestimo te huius epistulae formulam ad plurimos destinasse et sola nominum conmutatione eam per singulos sine meritorum consideratione transmittere.