Letter 9012: I endure the absence of your letters if — as it seems — your silence is the price of excellence.

To Messala, from Ennodius. I endure the absence of your letters if — as it seems — your silence is the price of excellence. The loss of correspondence is not painful when rare letters come attended by splendid style. What I receive from you in reports of God's favor toward you, and what I had already presumed from the merits of your holy parents, I now accept with joy. You have already won the support of friends of God — He who is both father and brother to you. I read your composition, and I will not hide it: I could not finish it without the tears that joy produces. I will not overwhelm you with detailed praise. But work to polish through eloquence what your natural gifts supply. You lack nothing that your father's son should possess — except what you deliberately withhold from yourself. May God forgive you your modesty. Continue as you have begun. Farewell.

XII. MERSALAE ENNODIVS. Fero uestrarum abstinentiam. litterarum, si sic ad incrementa gaudii mei pertinet quod tacetis: non est molesta paginalis intermissio, si cum splendidis dictionibus iunguntur rara conloquia. quod de gratia circa uos dei, quod de sanctis parentibus praesumebatur accipio. iam suffragiis amicorum dei, qui tibi pater et frater est, agnouisti. uere dictionem tuam sine lacrimis, quas dabant gaudia, non relegi. nolo apud te quae de te sentio uerborum inportunitate producere. labora ut quod suggerente in sensibus uena inuenis conponas eloquentia. nihil tibi a domni Fausti et domnae meae matris tuae filio minus est, nisi quod ipse studiose subtraxeris. parcat tibi tamen deus, 2 piae B copola B 3 serenu ̃ T moribus T 4 peroccupauit B relinquid B 6 gracia B 8 prouintialis LV 10 quae-redderer om. B aut scripsi, et LTVb 11 offitiis B honerosus BLTV 12 exsequi (se corr. uid.) B, exequi T simplicetis L XII. 16 messale BLT 17 absentiam Sirm . 18 paginales B 19 si] sic B 20 perentibus L 21 praesummabatur B, praesumatur LTVb 28 dabant T*, dabunt LPT1 Vb, debunt B 25 sentibus B 26 et ex a? corr. B 27 ipse B, ipsa LPTV, ista b studiosae BV ut credas me inmemorem tui esse, dum inpedientibus morbis frequenti te scriptione non ueneror: debes nosse dignum esse uenia quicquid necessitate delinquitur. domine mi, salutationem plenissimam dicens benedicere me deum in operibus eius de domni Auieni coniunctione significo et de te quod eius pietas pollicetur expecto.