Letter 5022: If the proximity of blood should inspire diligence of mind, then you and I have no excuse for silence.
To Venantius, from Ennodius.
If the proximity of blood should inspire diligence of mind, then you and I have no excuse for silence. We are bound by ties that most men must build from scratch; ours were given to us at birth.
Honor what nature provided. Write to me as a kinsman should, and I will do the same. Farewell.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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