Letter 6025: Your Greatness knows what devotion I bear you.

Your Greatness knows by what prejudgment the devotees of liberal studies honor me, demanding the writings of my recommendation as a thing owed to them. It is the custom that you confer benefits, that I confer words, and that the greatness of the matter outstrips the desire of the one who makes the request. If I were to abstain from these duties, then, while the spirit of your gifts remained intact, I for my part would not possess the prayer of a well-wisher. The bearer of the present letter, Pertinax, will be made known among you with the witness of the modesty of his birth, he who, in vouching for his lineage, is to make use of the good of his bashfulness. Through him, by tokens of my well-being rendered according to your desire, I pray that he may receive the fruit of his confidence, abundant, from the harvest of your esteem; and as often as a longed-for course of travelers shall arrive, send pages to relieve me, such as you receive in the solace of affection.

XXV. ENNODIVS FAVSTO. Scit magnitudo uestra quo me honorent praeiudicio studiorum liberalium sectatores tamquam rem sibi debitam commendationis meae scripta poscentes. in usu est uos beneficia, me uerba conferre et magnitudinem rerum desiderium uincere postulantis. si ab his muniis temperem, saluo munerum uestrorum genio, ego uotum beniuoli non habebo. perlator praesentium 1 iutus LTV, iustus Bb, adiutus Sirm., iussus coni. Schottus XXIIII. 4 arcotamie T 5 affectionis ius LTV 6 prolexitate B 7 nectet Bb 9 nesciuntur LTV 10 cUusa L (a eras.) 12 uendicant B (eorr. rec. ?) Tb 14 prcBtitit B 16 portitor] potior Bb benificii B . XXV. 21 honerent B sed onorent s. I. m. rec- B, onerent b 22 sectatoris B 23 ustun BlLTlV 24 magnitudine BTb , rerumJ tiestram fort . 25 Balua Bx (ut uidetur) b 26 beniuoli B* LTV v/non B habeo Tlb 11* Pertinax teste apud uos natalium suorum pudore uulgabitur, qui in adstipulatione stemmatis usurus est bono uerecundiae, per quem indiciis ualitudinis meae pro uestro desiderio factis precor, ut fiduciae suae fructum capiat ex dignationis uestrae messe locupletem, et quotiens uotiuus conmeantum cursus accesserit, ad subleuandum me quas in amoris solacio accipitis paginas destinate.