Letter 8009: If the divine favor has at last turned you from your habit of negligence toward the correspondence I have long...

Ennodius to Messala. If at last the divine favor leads you away from your resolve of negligence toward the studies you have vowed, if you give heed to where your natural gift, where the lord Faustus summons you, then do not keep silent the writing we long for. But I fear that, while I desire you to be dutiful, I am putting up with one who plays the rustic, and that the very thing I have craved is beginning to resist my desires. May the heavenly riches rouse that idleness of yours with the goad of devotion, and may they enrich the beggary of your mouth with help from on high. Look, write even if provoked by injuries. Therefore, bidding you good health, I ask that I may learn through the dispatch of letters what is being done concerning you. [The remainder of the source is an editorial critical apparatus recording manuscript variant readings (sigla B, L, T, V, P, b, and the editors Sirmond and others); it contains no further letter text to translate.]

VIIII. MESSALAE ENNODIVS. Si iam te fauor diuinus a proposito neglegentiae ad uotiua ducit studia, si quo te uena, quo domnus Faustus uocat adtendis, optata scriptione non taceas. sed timeo, ne dum officiosum desidero, sustineam rusticantem et incipiat hoc desideriis meis resistere quod cupiui. caelestes diuitiae illam inertiam stimulo pietatis exsuscitent et mendicitatem oris tui superna ope locupletent. ecce uel iniuriis prouocatus scribe. salutem ergo dicens rogo, ut quid circa te agitur tabellarum promulgatione cognoscam. 1 peruenisseB T, puer aeniases LV, puer uenissis B, puer oenisaet Pb pagine B signaris BL V, resignares fort . an BT, ante V, ante L, aut Pb circa] contra Pb 2 me illam] millam B, melli L cautillitatem B designaris B 8 quaeaiti B 4 te om. Pb uicio V qua T, quam. BLPVb anbolare solis B; inambulare fort . 5 alius B 6 constitni B 7 indeco B 8 inequalitate BLTV pacina iocus B 9 distensam om. T1, post tormenta inserendum esse significauit T m. 2 in mg . fknolam B 10 coequabo LTV VIllI. 12 messale BLT 13 labor B 14 ducis LV si qua (a ex o) T domnus B, domus LV, dSnus PT, dominns b, te domnus Sirm . auendis T 15 non taceas scriptione LT Vb 16 desiderio T1 17 caelestis B stitulo B (s postea add.) 19 uel om. Strm . inriis B pronooatis L 20 agatur Sinn . tabularum Sirm .