Letter 3006: One must surrender to the command of love: affection holds me bound, and I have given it my words — so that the...
Ennodius to Laurentius.
One must surrender to the command of love: affection holds me bound, and I have given it my words — so that the greeting I owe should not go unsaid. The opportunity of a household carrier could not be allowed to pass without my sending a letter as proof of my devotion. And so, offering my greeting with the reverence it deserves, I ask that you revive me with a reply in kind, since I promise myself a response in exchange for the extension of my letter.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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Felix, bishop, servant of the servants of God, greetings.
I would be lying about my affection if I did not confess that your departure left a wound.
Full of the best hopes for you, and wishing you every good fortune, I reach for the pen of letter-writing.
Your devotion has done what it always does — both extending concern about us and entrusting yours to us.