Letter 8042: The reports of your illness have reached me, and I write with the urgency that love demands.

The announcement of your illness fell upon the increase of my own. For such is always the habit and almost the nature of the anxious: one scarcely believes that what one feared has passed, and what our redeemer has done by heavenly kindness in the past one sighs over as if it were placed before one's eyes. Lord Avienus, in me now nothing remains of the enjoyment of this light except — after the fear of God — only your affection: when things go better with me, I am such as you left me in despair. It remains that by your prayers both the remission of sins may be granted, and if it so seems to God, in place of a remedy a swift death may come, lest what I live be more bitter than death. My lord, paying the greeting owed with all humility, I ask that through you I may learn what is reported from Rome concerning our matter.

XXXXII. ENNODIVS AVIENO. Aegritudinis uestrae indicium in meae contigit incrementum. nam talis semper est usus et pene natura solliciti, ut uix XXXX. 2 boethio BLVb 3 adoasat B 5 implsre L a] ad T 7 inditio L, indictio B, iuditio P, iudicio b 9 oelestis B 10 agnosoendi T\' XXXXL 12 acapito L, agapio B 13 ferritur B 16 aesca LV conloqui B tUum B 16 pinget B 18 linqueris ris B scripti L moeasitudinem B 20 cama B prae- ditoa B 21 feoere L1 XXXXII. 24 Qgretudinis L\' mee 7x, mea BLPTVb contiget B, contingit b 25 est semper LTV pene] pe B credat transisse quod metuit et quae fecit redemptor noster caelesti benignitate praeterita, quasi sint in occulis locata, suspirat. sunt, domne Auiene, iam in me nihil de usura lucis istius nisi uestra tantum post timorem dei remansit affectio: quando melius mecum agitur, talis sum, qualem me in desperatione dimisistis. superest, ut precibus uestris et peccatorum remissio concedatur et si ita deo uidetur, pro uice remedii obitus celer eueniat, ne amarius sit morte quod nino. domine mi, salutationem debitam tota humilitate persoluens rogo, ut per uos, quid in causa nostra de Roma nuntiatur, agnoscam.