Letter 9019: For a long time my soul hung in uncertainty, not knowing whether your silence meant neglect or misfortune.
For a long time my soul has hung in uncertainty, whether I should knock at the door of your acquaintance with the lovable presumption of writing and enter by this path the breast of a most excellent person, or whether, content with a vague greeting through your people, I should break through the secrets that besieged me, because my effort seemed not to be counted among men when the most powerful of men was ignorant of me. And plainly neither his character nor his nature suggests confidence to one who is hidden from those placed on the heights — especially from you, whom each world embraces in friendly and kindred diversity, whom the fear of God, strengthened by the graciousness of his favor, has already caused to bestow the summit of honors, and — what those of the highest rank are scarcely brought to — to give the glory of reputation to their subjects. Summits are to be praised, but one scarcely reaches them by the greatest toil. Yet, and may this be said with good fortune, even these heights are among your gifts. Therefore, greeting you reverently, I close this letter with brevity, lest before your condescension my praise seem importunate. More abundantly, after a reply by letter — such as befits your character and power — you shall read with Mundus as our common witness.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
XVIIII. ENNODIVS AGNELLO.
Longo animus meus pependit incerto, utrum pro diligentia
notitiae uestrae ianuam scriptionis amabili praesumptione pulsarem
et excellentissimi hominis per hunc callem pectus ingrederer
an per homines uestros uaga salutatione contentus secreta,
quibus obsidebar, inrumperem, quia nisus mihi est non esse
in hominum numero conputandus quem hominum potissimus
ignoraret. et plane illi nec mores suggerunt fiduciam nec
natura, qui in arce locatis absconditur, uobis praecipue, quos
uterque orbis amica et socia diuersitate conplectitur, quos dei
timor gratiae suae comitate firmatos fecit iam honorum summa
largiri et, ad quod uix praecipui perducuntur, ad opinionis
gloriam dare subiectis.. laudandi sunt apices, sed ad eos sudore
maximo uix uenitur. quod tamen feliciter dictum sit, et inter
munera uestra sunt culmina. ergo salutans reuerenter epistolam
breuitate concludo, ne ante dignationem uestram uideatur inportuna
laudatio. latius post responsum paginale, quod moribus,
quod potentiae uestrae conuenit, eritis Mundo mecum adtestante
lecturi.
Related Letters
If I could follow you in body, I would spare myself the trouble of words.
Thanks be to God, whose generosity toward Your Greatness has exceeded what mere human merit could claim.
You have carried out my wishes beyond what I dared to request, and I write to thank you.
It has come to our ears — a thing shocking to be told — that some in your parts worship trees, and perpetrate many other unlawful things contrary to the Christian faith. And we wonder why your Fraternity has delayed correcting this by strict punishment. On this account we exhort you by this present writing to cause these persons to be sought out...
The letters that normally serve my affection as willing messengers are now, for once, drafted by pain.