Unknown→Honoratus, of Salona|c. 515 AD|ennodius pavia
From: Ennodius, deacon (now bishop-elect) in Pavia
To: Honoratus
Date: ~515 AD
Context: A letter noting that Honoratus lives nearby yet writes as if separated by oceans — a playful complaint about negligent correspondence from a neighbor.
To Honoratus, from Ennodius.
You live in the neighborhood, and yet you write as though continents divided us — which is to say, you do not write at all. The distance between us is measured in streets, not in miles, and yet your silence would be more appropriate to a man stationed at the edges of the world.
This is absurd, and I will not tolerate it. Write to me. You have no excuse. Farewell.
XXVII. HONORATO ENNODIVS.
In uicinitate uos degere moderna scriptione signastis, iungentes
ad dispendia gaudiorum statum uestrae ualitudinis inminutum.
non nego, sic mereor, ut semper mihi cum dulcibus
XXVL 2 ennodius om. T 3 aUtor B scriptionem T1, sabscriptione
L 5 repraesentat Sirm . depciat LPT quem T
7 dignationem Sirm . nestra BTb, nestram LPV et Sirm .
potior BPb, patior TV et Sirm., patior L 8 uendicare T
11 loquilla B 13 qui Tl 14 disserui T corr . M. 2 15 coepiBtis
b, cepistis b 16 paciantnr B 17 elegerit T mihi
BL V 20 plenissimns fort . cdmodorum (c5 ex con) L
h
XXVII. 23 ennodias om. T 24 nicinate L deg.ere L
26 ego Т1b at Y a. I. m. 1, ut T s. I. m. 2, et L, om. P
amara socientur. hactenus uos Rauennatibus occupatos excubiis
aduersa tenuerunt, unde quia lazari contigit, corporalia in uobis
est labefactata substantia, ne in totum liceret optata promereri.
quam dura est humanarum rerum condicio, quae quotiens
desideriis aliquo sapore responderit, mox et in foribus concessa
permutat. expani tamen calumniam, quam oratoria et
nimis Daedala preuisione litteris indidisti, ut indidisti pro utilitate
tua nolle me credas, si efficere non potuisse signauero.
o artificis ingenii secretum, quod plus commoditati prospicit
quam de amore confidat! deus testis est me tibi non negaturum
esse quod ualeo. tu deum roga, ut actionem. meam infelicium
quas diligis litterarum non patiatur calamitatibus inpediri.
nihil est enim quod magis pro obice metuam actionis
inpositae, quam illud, quod noui, accipere scolasticum nil mereri.
confer magis ingenium tuum ad squalentia iura, per
quae quicquid scabrida poposcit lingua mox meruit aut, si non
meruit, mox auulsit. domine, salutationis gratiam soluens spero,
at effusis laborem meum precibus iuues, quia, cum non habeam.
docti aut eruditi meritum, saepe in causis sustineo fata perfecti.
◆
From:Ennodius, deacon (now bishop-elect) in Pavia
To:Honoratus
Date:~515 AD
Context:A letter noting that Honoratus lives nearby yet writes as if separated by oceans — a playful complaint about negligent correspondence from a neighbor.
To Honoratus, from Ennodius.
You live in the neighborhood, and yet you write as though continents divided us — which is to say, you do not write at all. The distance between us is measured in streets, not in miles, and yet your silence would be more appropriate to a man stationed at the edges of the world.
This is absurd, and I will not tolerate it. Write to me. You have no excuse. Farewell.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.