Letter 9018: A letter would be sufficient proof of the care I bear you — and so I send one.
Ennodius of Pavia→Stephania|c. 508 AD|Ennodius of Pavia
friendship
From: Ennodius, deacon in Pavia
To: Stephania
Date: ~507 AD
Context: A brief letter arguing that a letter would suffice as evidence of affection — Ennodius sends one to make the point.
Ennodius to Stephania.
A letter would be sufficient proof of the care I bear you — and so I send one. It is brief, but its brevity should not be mistaken for indifference. The heart that sends it is full; only the page is short.
Reply when you can, and know that the brevity of my letter is the only small thing about my affection. Farewell.
XVIII. ENNODIVS STEPHANIAE.
Sufficeret equidem pro epistolari commercio meritum portitoris,
cui et uena sua quod loquendum est et pura circa me
ministrat affectio. sed animus meus ad duplicatum festinat
obsequium, nec simplici quam reuerentia uestra exigit humilitate
contentus, domno Auieno scripta coniungit, illi quem
de stirpe uestra procreatum et uita prodit et oratio. grauiter
tamen fero, quod rusticas uoces nimis urbana et subtili elocutione
narratis. non ita circa familiam uestram gratia caelestis
innotuit, ut aliquem in ea liceat maioribus suis aut lingua
esse aut actione dissimilem, nisi forte quod uos supra. claritatem
seniorum sanctae uiduitatis in uobis fulgor inradiat.
nempe illius domni Fausti germana es, in cuius praefectura
quod monachos instituat inuenitur, quem plus est actione
uenerabilem esse quam titulo. rogo uos seruitio salutationis
exhibito, ut numquam scholasticorum indociles conpositiones
1 offerendo desiderantis fort . 2 cocullun B 3 diregere
B ante sanctissima distingunt b et Sirm. hora T 4 noon
B 5 perficiant (perf in ras.) V mihi BLV, mea P2 (m
mg.) b 6 me om. b reaerandis T reneletis Tb .7 lena
metra canas T robei B 8 oeritate B
1
XVin. 10 stephane L 11 aequidem B 14 eziget B
15 conte ̃ ///tus T conionget B 16 styrpe B 17 orhana B
snptili B 19 in ta] inae B 23 monachns libri, em. Sirm .
24 esse] ∻ T s. I . 25 indociles Pb, indocilis BLTV
VI.
16
sanctis dictationibus misceatis: sufficit mihi quod admirer,
quod si mereor sequi debeam, in uestris sensibus inuenire.
◆
From:Ennodius, deacon in Pavia
To:Stephania
Date:~507 AD
Context:A brief letter arguing that a letter would suffice as evidence of affection — Ennodius sends one to make the point.
Ennodius to Stephania.
A letter would be sufficient proof of the care I bear you — and so I send one. It is brief, but its brevity should not be mistaken for indifference. The heart that sends it is full; only the page is short.
Reply when you can, and know that the brevity of my letter is the only small thing about my affection. Farewell.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.