Letter 4005: The distinguished Dalmatius — a man who holds no mere fraction but the full portion of my heart, and whose splendid...
Ennodius of Pavia→Faustus|c. 496 AD|Ennodius of Pavia
education books
From: Ennodius, deacon and literary figure in Pavia
To: Faustus [likely Faustus Niger, a senior Roman senator and patron]
Date: ~496 AD
Context: A letter of recommendation on behalf of Dalmatius, a kinsman of Ennodius — a classic commendatio navigating the social networks of Ostrogothic Italy.
To Faustus, from Ennodius.
The distinguished Dalmatius — a man who holds no mere fraction but the full portion of my heart, and whose splendid character matches his noble blood — has decided that his affairs would best be served if my words could support him before Your Eminence. Knowing his situation, I did not think I should hold back. Let me, with a certain courteous presumption, grant to his person what I would ask for anyone of merit.
He is a man whose family line speaks for itself, but whose own virtues speak louder. I commend him to your goodwill. Whatever you do for him, you do also for me — and I trust that Your Eminence's generosity will not disappoint either of us.
Consider this letter the earnest of a debt I will gladly repay in gratitude. Farewell.
V. FAVSTO ENNODIVS.
Sublimis uir Dalmatius, animae meae portio non defraudata
sed solida, cui ad praerogatiuam sanguinis morum splendor
accessit, hoc negotio suo credidit conuenire, si meis apud culmen
uestrum iuuaretur alloquiis. quod supersedendum eius conscius
non putaui, faciens urbanitate quadam personae tribui
1 esee sed Bb, sed T, ewe LV intempres L\' 2 inperiis
B dilentiae B 3 iubendum scripst, iuuendum B, uiuendum
LPTVb sed ni in ju eorr. V m. 1 putat fori . 4 filii
Pb 5 preiudicium B 7 Bobolem LTV exibet T 8 neglegent
L\' 10 honesta L 11 lascine T 14 neglegitur Lx
discendens B, diseedeHB coni. Schottus 15 procedunt T\' 16 pre-
IoquiiB B affatu] affectu B 17 perpetuam Zx liberalitate
LPTV 18 et cetera B, et cet LV, om. PTb we om. B
V . 21 defrudata L 22 sed solida L 8. I m. antiqua prerogatinam
B
quod uos noui debere iustitiae. in Sicilia enim praedicti pr.
dium bono hactenus iure possessum a consortibus perhibetur
inuasum. nunc ad iuuamen ciuilitatis inpenditur quicquid ego
promouero supplicando. domine mi, salutationis obsequia plena
humilitate persoluens deprecor, ut circa memorati nobilis uiri
conpendia pudorem leges ac reliqua quae per conscientiam
uestram subsistunt reipublicae ornamenta muniatis. uale.
◆
From:Ennodius, deacon and literary figure in Pavia
To:Faustus [likely Faustus Niger, a senior Roman senator and patron]
Date:~496 AD
Context:A letter of recommendation on behalf of Dalmatius, a kinsman of Ennodius — a classic commendatio navigating the social networks of Ostrogothic Italy.
To Faustus, from Ennodius.
The distinguished Dalmatius — a man who holds no mere fraction but the full portion of my heart, and whose splendid character matches his noble blood — has decided that his affairs would best be served if my words could support him before Your Eminence. Knowing his situation, I did not think I should hold back. Let me, with a certain courteous presumption, grant to his person what I would ask for anyone of merit.
He is a man whose family line speaks for itself, but whose own virtues speak louder. I commend him to your goodwill. Whatever you do for him, you do also for me — and I trust that Your Eminence's generosity will not disappoint either of us.
Consider this letter the earnest of a debt I will gladly repay in gratitude. Farewell.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.