Letter 5025: ---

--- How often the sins of others press down upon us, and what has its origin nowhere in ourselves is charged, with every appearance of justice, against our own transgressions! From my own experience I have learned that the testimony of the ancients does not perish — for through new events, the ancient proclamation of the poets is renewed. I believe that line was spoken with me in mind: *the unhappy man falls by another's wound* [Virgil, *Aeneid* X.781 — a warrior struck down not by his own enemy, but by a blow meant for someone else]. This is precisely the predicament now set before me in the case of the son of Sabinus — that man of venerable memory — who, held fast until now by the hindrances of illness, has broken obligations that were established through no fault of his own. I confess that the weighty declaration of Your Greatness had very nearly rendered my own mind guilty before itself: I had begun to believe the failing truly mine, though my conscience sheltered no awareness of it whatsoever. But behold — the very moment he was restored to good health, he set out for Milan with the utmost speed. The remaining particulars I did not think it necessary to press before you, for one who commends justice to great men seems, by that very act, to set forgetfulness in opposition to equity [that is, to remind a great man of fairness is to imply he might otherwise forget it — an insult to his character]. My lord, I offer you the gift of my most complete greeting; and for what remains, I entreat that the state of your grace toward me — abundant as it already is — may yet be moved to receive still further increase.

XXV. AVITO ENNODIVS. Quam saepe aliena peccata nos ingrauant et quod a nobis non oritur iure nostro inputatur excessui! ex me didici fidem ueterum non: perire, dum per negotia nouella cana poetarum reparatur adnuntiatio. de me dictum aestimo: decidit infelix alieno uulnere. super expectandae memoriae uiri Sabini filio exhibetur praefata concinnatio, qui hactenus aegritudinis tentus obstaculis sine uitio suo constituta uiolauit. fateor paene animum meum reum fecerat magnitudinis uestrae diues adsertio et credebam culpam esse propriam, quam conscientia non habebat. ecce, ut primum in bonam ualitudinem reductus est, Mediolanum cum summa properatione commeauit. cetera apud uos alleganda esse non credidi, quia qui commendat magnis uiris iustitiam obliuionem uidetur aequitatis opponere. domine mi, salutationis plenissimae munus exhibeo et, quod 12 Verg. Aen. X 781 sternitar infelix alieno uolnere t 1 exacturos B 2 nostrum T fimet B 3 accipientis B 6 diBtinabo B XXV. alterum huius epistulae apographim in libris BLTVb post Epist. VI12 legitur (B2L2T2V2b2) ennodius anito L, 10 inputatur BIB" imputatur L.T, V2b1b2, impatetor L1PT1V1 12 adnnnciatio B, dictum (u in ras.) Bt deaidit Pb1, decedit B" decidet B1L1L2T1T2V1V2b2 18 exspectandae L2V2 mamorię L2 14 sanini B1B2L1L2PT1T2V1V2b1 haotSnns Bt, aetenus Bt egritadinis BtLt 16 paene L1L2V2, pene rell. ure Tx ee Tt 17 diuis BIB, quem Tt 18 ualetudinem B,bs 90 alliganda B1B2T2V2 21 supponere fort . B mihi B1B2L1L2V1V2 ex*ibes L, VI. 10 superest, quaeso ut status circa me gratiae uestrae, quamuis sit plenissimus, adhuc tamen recipere cogatur augmenta