Letter 6021: I seized the occasion to discharge the duty of humble deference that I owe you.
Ennodius to Faustus.
I seized the occasion to discharge the duty of humble deference that I owe you. The opportunity came, and I was not going to let it pass — for debts of respect, unlike debts of money, grow larger the longer they remain unpaid.
Consider this letter a payment on account, with the promise of more to follow. 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AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
XXI. ENNODIVS FAVSTO.
In occasione rapui soluendae humilitatis personam domestici
perlatoris. desideriis meis militabit quod in aliorum negotiorum
efficacia prouidistis. fateor, durum credidi uicinior litteras
denegare, qui numquam potui in longinquo constitutus abstinere
conloquiis. uisus enim mihi sum Rauennatibus occupatus excubiis
magnitudinem uestram quadam mentis dextera contigisse.
idcirco ad leuamen desiderii scripta prorogaui, ut quod uiuis
subtrahebatur affatibus lectione pensarem. ergo honorem salutati
exhibens rogo, ut me huiusmodi, quotiens opportunitas
ingesta fuerit, remediis subleuetis, in quibus absentia unicum
habet diuina prouisione subsidium. agnouistis quae sit curatio
affectione languenti: uestrum est medelam aegris animis non
negare.
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