Letter 4006: I believed that once Your Greatness was devoted to the public good and your leisure had been transformed into glory...

Ennodius to Agapitus. I believed, after your greatness had been expended upon the general good and your leisure had passed over into glory, after, occupied with the watches at Ravenna, while you neglect your own repose you secure ours with all firmness, and your private genius crossed over to the honors of the kingdom, when the palatine splendor added to itself a new light drawn from the household within, and the lord of affairs rightly judged that the pomp of his kingdom had been too confined when he did not have you, I believed, in view of the nearness of our regions, that I should be relieved by frequent conversations. But my sins have mocked the ineffectual counsels of my hope: your serene mind sends no pages as testimony of your attentiveness. It is hard if I have not deserved your love; harder if perhaps I have disturbed one whom I had won. Yet I know that these things must be shut away beneath clouds of excuses that accord with the truth: that gifts of letters are to be found among private persons, that such things are not rightly demanded of those who are occupied. But I have come to know that a conscience firm in affection, though pulled apart amid any burdens and adversities, does not deny to good will what is its due. Now I do not wish to be prodigal in complaints. Discharging the reverence of a salutation, I beg that you bring to its wished-for effect the petition which the bearer of this present letter shall have laid before you. Farewell.

VI. AGAPITO ENNODIVS. Credidi, postquam magnitudo uestra bonis est inpensa generalibus et otium migrauit in gloriam, postquam Rauennatibus excubiis occupati, dum quietem uestram neglegitis, nostram omni soliditate firmatis et priuatus genius ad regni decora transiuit, quando nouam lucem de domesticis abstractam sini. bus palatinus sibi fulgor adiecit et angustiorem fuisse regni sui pompam rerum dominus cum uos non habuit recte metitus est, pro uicinitate regionum crebris me releuandum esse conloquiis. sed inefficacibus spei meae inluserunt peccata consiliis: nullas paginas ad diligentiae testimonium mens serena transmittit. graue est si amorem non merui, grauius si quem exegeram forte turbaui. scio tamen haec congruentibus ueritati excusationum nubibus esse claudenda, in priuatis inueniri munera litterarum, non recte ab occupatis ista disquiri. sed noui firmam in affectione conscientiam inter quaeuis pondera et aduersa distractam debita sua gratiae non negare. nunc nolo esse 1 siciliae L predicti B 2 actenas B iurae L 3 quidquid BL 4 mi] mihi B 1 reipublice B mini∗atis B uale om. B . VI. 9 acapito L 11 in] ad T 12 negligites B 18 fir. mates B 14 domisticis B 16 habuerit Т1 mentitus LV1 18 inluserunt B, luserunt LPTVb 20 exigeram B, eiegerum V1 21 torbaui forte LV1 22 laudenda L 24 q ̃ ///ui T 25 distraatam (ctam s. t m. 2) T, districtam LPb ebita ex aedita T m . » uolo Tl prodigus in querelis. salutationis reuerentiam soluens deprecor, ut suggestionem, quam apud uos deposuerit praesentium portitor, ad uotiuum perducatis effectum. uale.