Letter 8038: Petition is never ineffective when it reaches a man of justice and compassion.

Ennodius of PaviaQuintus Aurelius Symmachus|c. 520 AD|Ennodius of Pavia
friendship
From: Ennodius, bishop of Pavia
To: Symmachus
Date: ~521 AD
Context: A letter arguing that petition is never ineffective when addressed to the right person.

Ennodius to Symmachus.

Petition is never ineffective when it reaches a man of justice and compassion. I bring my request to you confident that it will receive the hearing it deserves — not because I have any claim on your time, but because the cause itself does.

Consider it, and act as your conscience directs. Farewell.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.

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