Letter 8014: I would have kept my difficulties to myself, had I not understood that your concern for me makes my silence a form...

Ennodius to Faustus. I would have kept my difficulties to myself, had I not understood that your concern for me makes my silence a form of dishonesty. You worry when you do not hear from me, and you would worry more if you learned that I had suffered in silence rather than burdening you with the truth. So here it is: times are hard. The specifics I spare you — not from distrust but from the knowledge that the bearer can fill in what the page leaves out. What matters is that I am still standing, and that your friendship is one of the reasons I am. Pray for me, as I do for you. Farewell.

XIIII. ENNODIVS FAVSTO. Tacerem molestias meas, nisi intellexissem, quod sollicitudo uestra me subleuat. nondum agnoscitis, quam uariis 14 cf. Sallasi Cat. c. 1 4 uinat] niuat sic B 5 acantos suos B, sanctis suis PTb faciet LPITI V coequari B 6 simpliciter T quatinus LTV petionem B 7 cogitet deum B 8. I . cogites SWm., cogite b cogitee Sirm., cogite Pb 8 maius circa me T 9 praestare em. Schottus et Sirm., stare BLPTVb XIII. 11 ennodiua om. T 12 afflictionem L mencior B 13 quamuiz locatum B 14 et quia BLTVb, et deleui ceteris] teris B inperator B 16 captiuos B 17 ualitudine B 19 remmuneror B adcepta B restituenstes B 20 nre B XlIII. 28 tarem B 24 sublenet L non (o corr.) T, nam B LPVb agnoscitis Bb, agnoscetis LPTY, cognoscitis Sirm . VI. 14 morborum fatigor incommodis, pro peccatis meis febribus frequenter addicor et uires, quae uidebantur restitutae, franguntur. ergo uos remedia consueta praestate et usum illum sanctae conuersationis inpendite, ut quicquid medicina mortalium non ualet fusis ad deum nostrum precibus inpetretis.