Letter 6013: Another person's need makes me importunate, because I owe it to those in difficulty to speak on their behalf.
To Avitus, from Ennodius.
Another person's need makes me importunate, because I owe it to those in difficulty to speak on their behalf. It is not my own cause I press, but one that deserves a hearing — and I bring it to you because I trust your judgment and your generosity.
The details I leave to the bearer, who can explain the circumstances better than a letter allows. What I ask is simply this: hear the case with the fairness that I know you to possess, and act as your conscience directs.
I will be grateful for whatever you can do, and so will the one on whose behalf I write. Farewell.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
XIII. AVITO ENNODIVS.
Inportunum me \'facit aliena necessitas, quia debeo pro deprecante
sermonem. lex propositi intercessionis refutat auaritiam.
nam ad conscientiae meae sarcinam iungitur, si respuam
supplicantem. expectandae memoriae Sabini filius ad diem
constitutum sententiam praestolaturus occurrit: sed agellum
suum utilitatis consideratione est coactus expetere, quia et
fideiussor et exsecutor definita die defuerunt. abiurantem me
de praefati negotio ultra uilescere baiulus inpulit, ut ad eum nuntios, quatenus rursus occurreret, destinarem, quod me
fecisse significo. nunc salutationis meae dicens obsequia in
potestate est culminis uestri, in pradicti causa quid iustitia
quam fouetis, quid fiducia quam dedistis mereatur, ostendere.
XII. 2 Incip liberio B, Enuodias Liberio Sirm. engeniti B
4 diac B, om. T 6 praefert] preces b 7 archani T alliganda
BLb snbpremit B 10 integritas] explic add. B . hanc
ejpistvlam in Itbris BLTVb seq ̰ uitur alterum Epist. V 26 repetitae
exemplum .
XIII. 12 itam auito BLTV 13 importunium T1 fecit V
16 exspectande L 17 praestu.latunis B occurret Bb 18 consideratione
Bb, ratione LTV et Sinn . 19 execator Bsb deftnita]
defuncta Sirm . 20 uilescere Tb, uiliscere BLV Ut Bb,
om. LTV 21 nuntius L, noncius b quatanas Bb, qaatinnB
LTV 98 predicti V, praedicto Bb 24 foaetes B ostenderej
explic add. B
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