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 of PaviaLaurentius, agent dispatched to Istria|c. 497 AD|Ennodius of Pavia
friendship

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.

AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.

Latin / Greek Original

VI. ENNODIVS LAVRENTIO,

Dandae sunt manus amoris imperio: uinctum me tenet adfectio
cui uerba concessi, ut quod ad salue debitum pertinet
non tacerem. domestici perlatoris occasio mihi perire non potuit,
nisi ad diligentiae testimonium scripta transmitterem.
salutans ergo reuerentia debita precor, ut uicario me releuetis
affatu, quia promitto mihi litterarum prorogatione responsum.

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