Letter 5017: Your Greatness does well when you honor both your birth and your character equally.

To Avienus, from Ennodius. Well does your Greatness, while paying deference to both your origin and your character, join correction to error without interval and avert what it wisely recognizes as sin before it is denounced by another. Who would believe that one so swift in correction had sinned at all? He is scarcely to be called a follower of excesses who interposes his hand against the surprise attack of faults. These things, my lord, I reply to what you deigned to write, with your grace as my guide. For the rest, the burdens of the life I have chosen have made me more humble: wretchedness has left me scarcely fit to resume conversation. My lord, presenting the duties of greeting, I pray God to restore to your Eminence the reward for this consideration by which you do not scorn the humble.

XVII. AVIENO ENNODIVS. Bene magnitudo uestra, dum origini et moribus praestat obsequium, emendationem sine interuallo coniungit errori et quod peccatum sapienter intellegit, priusquam altero denuntietur, auertit. quis credat deliquisse in correctione uelocissimum? pene non uocandus est sectator excessuum qui obuiam manum ponit in subreptione culparum. haec, mi domine, ad ea, quae es dignatus scribere, gratia uestra duce respondeo. ceterum humiliorem me proposito actuum meorum pondera reddiderunt: uix miseria remansi idoneus reformare conloquia. domine mi, salutationis obsequia praesentans deum rogo, qui culminibus uestris fructum pro hac qua humilem non spernitis consideratione restituat. 1 tu om. B, recte fort., nam alter uel PamfroniuB intercidisse uidetur 2 de om. P\'b dei om. B 3 concede Lx sponditur B 4 prestitum B mihi BLV 5 tribues B dominum PTb 7 comulo B decerpsisti] finit add. B XYIL 9 ennodius auieno LV 10 uestra] tua P2T 12 defitietur LT 13 auertet B, aduertit T delinquisse B 14 ezcess∗u ̃ L 16 que B dignatus ea Pb 17 caeterum LV I me] te Pb act.ū L 18 misera T 19 m V, mi∗∗ L, mihi B salutationes Lx 21 restituatj legi add. BLPTYb, initium ut uidetur subscriptionis formulae cutus uestigium B etiam in fine Dictionis XXI fol . 179? exhtbet ENNODITS EMENDAVI MEAM DEO MEO IVTASTE