Letter 4005: The distinguished Dalmatius — a man who holds no mere fraction but the full portion of my heart, and whose splendid...

Ennodius to Faustus. The distinguished man Dalmatius, a portion of my soul not diminished but entire, to whom, beyond the prerogative of his blood, the splendor of his character has been added, judged it fitting to his own affair that he be assisted before your eminence by my words. Being privy to this, I did not think it should be passed over, fulfilling by a certain courtesy what I knew I owed to your person and to justice. For in Sicily an estate of the aforesaid man, held up to now by good right, is reported to have been seized by his partners. Now whatever I shall advance by my pleading is expended for the aid of civil order. My lord, rendering the dutiful offices of greeting with full humility, I beg that, in the matter of the gains owed to the aforementioned noble man, you uphold modesty, the laws, and the remaining ornaments of the commonwealth which subsist through your conscience. 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.