Letter 9018: A letter would be sufficient proof of the care I bear you — and so I send one.

The merit of the bearer would indeed suffice for epistolary exchange, for whom both his own talent and his pure affection toward me supply what must be said. But my soul hastens to a doubled service, and not content with the simple humility that your reverence demands, joins a letter to Lord Avienus, whom both his life and his speech reveal to have been begotten from your stock. Yet I bear it with difficulty that you describe rough voices with an overly urbane and subtle eloquence. The grace of heaven has not so manifested itself concerning your family that anyone in it should be permitted to be unlike his elders in either speech or action — unless perhaps the radiance of holy widowhood shining in you raises you above the distinction of your ancestors. Surely you are the sister of that Lord Faustus, in whose rule over his household what instructs monks is found, whom it is a greater thing to be venerable in action than in title. I ask you, with the service of greeting displayed, that you never mingle the unlearned compositions of rhetoricians with your holy dictations: it is enough for me to find in your sentiments something to admire and, if I am worthy, something I ought to follow.

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.