Letter 8028: What return of correspondence I have earned from you, you alone can measure.

By what return of reciprocity, by what care of services shall it be repaid to me that I address you with frequent pages and do not shrink from the duty of speech emerging into the public light? Neither your age nor a formula equal to my talent can call me back. I choose to trust the kind more than the expert, so that the goods of birth may be set before studies: that you are faithful is a divine gift in nature; learning, a second gift, will come through God. It is necessary that your love of integrity display to you, who already hold the marks of the first rank, all the insignia of the leading role. Therefore, having received the honor of greeting, know that according to your request I have, though in haste, dictated a letter of admonition to you, which I have taken care to send to the lord patrician Symmachus, so that whatever in it is worthy of emendation may be corrected. But on account of any oversight of negligence, I have also furnished you with copies of it. On this matter, keep this to yourself and take care not to reveal to the most eminent man named above what was brought to you, as though demanding something new, because if you learn that it has pleased under his authority, you will not fear to bring it to the attention of those who are wise.

XXVIII. ENNODIVS BEATO. Qua mihi uicissitudinis, qua obsequiorum cura pensabitur, quod te et frequentibus paginis alloquor et officio sermonis XXVI. 4 cupet B 6 adceptos B me esse] messe B 7 agnoscerem B 8 solatium BTL uestre B XXVII. 12 quamui. (x eras.) B 8*1 L c eras. et i in ras . 13 mole] ole ei B domui scripsi, somni LVb, omni B, sflptus T 14 ueetrae b, uestrae (ueatre B) et BLPTV 15 debit B pene BLT 16 Buspicet B 18 domna Sirm., dona b serniciis B proseques L 21 eos] uos b 22 ezortata L tuae b soleti B 23 refrenit B XXVIll. 26 uicessitadinis B osequiorum B 27 te et] te in Pb, te et in SiNn . tui in lucem exire publicam non detestor? non me aetas tua, non ingenio meo potest reuocare par formula. eligo benignis plus credere quam peritis, ut bona originis anteferant studiis: quod fidelis es, diuini est muneris in natura: eruditio per deum ueniet res secunda. necesse est, ut totum tibi amor integritatis exhibeat primarum partium insignia iam tenenti. ergo honore salutationis accepto noueris me iuxta petitionem uestram epistolam ad uos admonitionis quamuis sub festinatione dictasse, quam ad domnum patricium Symmachum idcirco dirigere procuraui, ut quod in ea emendatione dignum est corrigatur. sed propter subreptionem neglegentiae te quoque eius exemplaribus informaui. qua de re tu apud te esto et caue ne tibi ad te perlatam manifestes conprehenso superius eminentissimo uiro ceu rem nouam postulans, quia si eius eam magisterio placuisse cognoueris, ad notitiam perferre eorum qui sapiunt non timebis.