Letter 6016: Conversations between friends should not always be driven by business.

Conversations should not be made burdensome when love has devised them as a remedy, nor ought the stipend of devotion to summon us to necessary business, since it would be sweet for the duties of letters to serve concord alone and not to transfer a matter of diligence into the snares of profit\! But things have come to this pass: unless that elder love — which took its beginning from the very threshold of life between us and through the various forces of progress brought the harvest of grace to the threshing-floor — roused by the goad of writing, rises on my behalf, I shall be struck by a great barrenness of ingratitude and losses. Your amplitude remembers what was discussed with you concerning the reimbursement of expenses which my bishop had incurred at Ravenna — I having promised him repayment — for the benefit of the apostolic see: concerning the restitution of which you had promised a speedy result. But for my sins some mishap has interposed its hand. Regarding this matter the attention of the aforesaid bishop has turned upon me, so that he has scarcely granted a delay for sending to the most sacred city. Now after God the matter rests with you, who are able to rescue both my person from the offense of my bishop and from losses, lest the duty of faithfulness should seem to have produced adversity for me alone. My lord, paying the gifts of greeting, I pray to God that he invite your soul without delay to consideration of my advantage. I could find nothing more to do than to send a trusted bearer to me with a manifest plea.

XVI. ENNODIVS LVMINOSO. Non deberent esse negotiosa conloquia, quae pro remedio sibi amor inuenit, nec religionis stipendium ad necessaria nos oporteret euocare commercia, quia dulce esset epistularum munia soli militare concordiae nec rem diligentiae in aucupia transferre conpendii! sed res ad hoc rediit, ut nisi senior caritas, quae inter nos ab ipso uitae limine sumpsit exordium et per uarias profectuum uires messem gratiae perduxit ad aream, conpulsa pro meis partibus stimulo scriptionis adsurgat, grandi ingratitudinis et detrimentorum sterilitate percutiar. meminit amplitudo uestra quae. de expensis, quae apud Rauennam episcopus meus fecerat, me ei redhibitionem promittente, pro sedis apostolicae utilitate, uobiscum fuerit conlocutus: de qua restituenda celerem promiseratis effectum. sed pro peccatis meis nescio qui casus manus opposuit. de qua ad me praedicti antistitis se conuertit intentio, ut uix indutias ad sacratissimam urbem tribuerit destinandi. nunc post deum in uobis causa est, qui potestis et personam meam offensione pontificis et detrimentis eripere, ne officium fidei mihi uni peperisse uideatur aduersa. domine mi, salutationis munera persoluens deum precor, ut animum uestrum ad utilitatis meae considerationem incunctanter inuitet. ego quid amplius facerem inuenire non potui, nisi ut cum allegatione manifesta fidum mihi dirigerem perlatorem. XVI. 3 quę B 8. I . 5 , quia]! quam fort . 8 lumine V1 et Sirm . 9 profecUum L uices fort . 12 meminet B expensis qua\' T episcopos B 13 redibitionem BTlV, retributionem L 14 apoatulice B coillocutua T 15 peccatis meis V in ras . 16 opposuit manus LTV 17 antestitis B inducias (c ex t corr.) B 18 tribueret L destinandua Bb 19 offensioni L . pontifieis] mei add. LTV 20 uideatui peperisse LTV: 21 mihi BL V dominum b et Sirat. 23 quidS Bl ut uidetur 24 fidem B b