Letter 4023: ---

Ennodius to Dominator. It would indeed have been fitting that your desires, which brother Agnellus's representation made known, should be such that a writing-tablet unlock them and that a preliminary discourse furnish the means for drawing out our conversations, since what you owe could be restored to you, and I would defend myself by no pretext for abstaining from the page while you are speaking. It lay within your right to exchange the holidays of our tongue for exercise and to rub away the rust of a rusticating eloquence by the workshop's labors, because, just as it is the first injury to affection not to dedicate a discourse to one who desires it, so neither the memory of friendship nor of modesty counsels giving back silence to a writing once published. Now, however, it has come as a favor to my disposition that you have commanded pages, even though it is withdrawn from testimony, because I never put the strength of love to the question. Let it depart from liberal talents that you should believe the bundle to be unbearable which a friend imposes. Only do you embrace what has been exacted, and, correcting your censure, lay aside the sour fastidiousness of judges. Far be it from you not to cherish him who has obeyed. He is drawn into the hope of a higher merit, even if he comes from a commonplace mint, who has handed over to you the obedience of the mouth laid upon him. Therefore farewell, my lord, since I do not wish those conversations to become long-winded which are not built to the plumb-line. Do you only, in keeping with my confidence, restore the harvest of grace as a fertile soil does, because hereafter it will be at your discretion, if you wish to receive my letters frequently, to invite me to these duties.

XXIII. ENNODIVS DOMINATORI. Oportuerat quidem desideria uestra, quae fratris Agnelli patefecit allegatio, ut tabella reseraret et ad elicienda conloquia formam sermo praeuius exhiberet, quia potuit tibi restitui quod debebis nec ullo me colore defenderem te loquente a paginis abstinendo. in tuo iure fuit linguae nostrae ferias 1 meam om. sirm . frnstetar T sic] si B 2 teneatis] finit add. B emp. corr . XXII. 4 symacho BT 5 sublimis B larentio T adsigstat T 6 aobolis LTV 7 exsequatur LTV ampliore L procedat B1 9 adatipolationem T tepidante X1 10 patram P et Sirm. 18 me T ut uidetur paraolns B 14 quatenuB BPb, qaatinas LTV 15 mihi BLV 16 comprehensit T1 17 pcatari B intelligat finit B XXIII. 21 pateeoont allegatione b ut eac at T tn. 2 22 exiberet T1 23 debebus P te ex to T M. 2 loquenta B 24 suo T exercitio commutare et rubiginem rusticantis eloquii fabrilibus studiis amouere, quia sicut damnum caritatis est primum cupienti non dedicare sermonem, ita promulgatae scriptioni silentium reddere nec amicitiae suadet memoria nec pudoris. nunc tamen accessit ad genium meum quod paginas imperasti, etsi subtrahitur testimonio, quod numquam in amore uires interrogo. facessat ab ingeniis liberalibus, ut credas fascem esse intolerabilem, quem amicus inponit. tu tantum exacta conplectere et censuram castigans rancida iudicantum depone fastidia. absit a te eum non fouere qui paruit. in spem altioris meriti trahitur, etiamsi ueniat a moneta triuiali, qui tibi inpositum oris mancipauit obsequium. ergo uale, mi domine, quia nolo fieri prolixa quae non sunt ad perpendiculum fabricata conloquia. tu messem gratiae iuxta fiduciam meam tamquam uber solum restitue, quia in tuo posthac erit arbitrio, si crebro epistolas meas accipere uolueris, his me muniis inuitare.