Letter 9023: The infusion of heavenly mystery has granted me the opportunity to address Your Greatness, and I seize it with both...

By the infusion of heavenly mystery it has been granted to me to hold free judgments, even though I am bound by favors. For it is a gift from above that one who is obligated may render an honest opinion and not take pleasure in the enormity of gratitude at the expense of rigorous judgment. It is divine when one to whom you have given much speaks of you without corruption, and one subjugated by the resources of your gifts places nothing false upon the scales of truth. For where the talk concerns the mightiest, and what is about to reach the ears of the world is being shaped, why should private interest overshadow public testimony? I owe indeed more to Your Highness than the totality of men owe — but I do not wish to express anything greater than the mouths of the whole world can declare, and content with the law of epistolary narrowness, I merely taste a very small portion from that harvest of your merits, O most fortunate of men. The whole of hostile force labors with all its expenditure of strength so that throughout the entire world you alone may restore what has been scattered. What sort of man he is whom you serve remains a matter of estimation, when things fallen, burned, and destroyed, once they have looked upon you, regain their strength. Italy was scarcely fed by the sweat of public expenditure, when you, without any interval of time, transformed it both to a hope of restoration and to the capacity for paying tribute. We began, under your governance, joyfully to contribute to the public treasuries what we used to receive with the greatest grief. Our abundance has always been your administration. The heavens have assisted your venerable counsel. For the strength of the revenues you have either nourished for the public good or created outright. A man more sublime than all heights, you first made royal resources overflow without the evil of private extortion. To you, after God, it is owed that in the presence of a most powerful lord and conqueror everywhere, we confess our riches in safety — for the wealth of subjects is secure when the emperor is not in need. And what of this: that you enriched those innumerable hordes of Goths by a generous distribution of estates, with the Romans scarcely aware? For the victors desire nothing more, and the conquered have felt no loss. I pass over, out of consideration for epistolary speech, the honey of your fellowship and your kindnesses, established by heavenly precepts, ennobled no less by deeds than by words. I direct my speech to the desires that are owed to Your Eminence, because the Gauls join with me in this attestation: that, with Christ the living God disposing, once those have been set in order to whom you have brought civilization after many cycles of years — those whom before you it was not possible to taste the flavor of Roman liberty — you may be brought back to your Italy, with us requesting and them retaining you. Thus, as a native of both worlds through your holy deeds, may you elevate your venerable house and your eminent sons, together with all who possess Italy, with the dowry of your blessed presence. I, for my part, having offered the services of greeting, report that I am well and await from you something that can satisfy my desire.

XXIII. ENNODIVS LIBERIO. Datum est mihi caelestis infusione mysterii libera habere iudicia, etiam cum sim beneficiis obligatus. est enim superni muneris ut ingenuam sententiam ferat obnoxius nec delectetur 2 trigua T 3 otnittas] ef. Wienev studien II p. 233 X II. 7 quod (d ex s? corr.) B, quos P1b seruus L, seruos suos (suos add. m. 2) T 8 popilla B 10 imperia V conoeeai B, congessi LPTVb 11 sitis (alt. i corr.) B breaem T et Sirm., breue BLPVb 12 absentia ̃ T domini B2 .13 uos om. B membores B* 17 uentiis T1 18 solemnem LV, sole ̃ pnem T hilico P .._ XXIIL 25 innuam B delitetur B inmanitete gratiae uigor examinis. diuinum est, quando sine corruptions de te loquitur cui multa contuleris nec iniquum ponit aliquid in lance ueritatis donorum tuorum opibus subiugatus, nam ubi de potissimis sermo est et in aures mundi itura formantur, publicum testimonium priuata actio cur obumbret? debeo equidem celsitudini uestrae plus quam uniuersitas: sed nolo maius aliquid quam uniuersitatis possunt ora depromere et epistularis angustiae lege contentus satis modicum de illa meritorum messe praelibo felicissime hominum hoc totis hostilitas uirium suarum laborat inpendiis, ut per totum orbem tu solus dissipata conponas aestimationi remanet qualis sit ille cui militas, quando lapsa exusta perdita, cum te aspexerint, conualescunt. uix pascebatur Italia publici sudore dispendii, quando tu eam sine interuallo temporis et ad spem reparationis et ad praebitionem tributariam commutasti. laeti coepimus te moderante. inferre aerariis publicis quod cum maximo dolore solebamus accipere. fuit semper ubertas nostra dispensatio tua. iuuerunt uenerabile superna consilium.. nam uires uectigalium tu uel nutristi pro bono publico uel dedisti. culminibus omnibus homo sublimior, tu primus fecisti regales copias sine malo priuatae concussionis effluere. tibi post deum debetur, quod apud potentissimum dominum et ubique uictorem securi diuitias confitemur: tuta enim tunc est subiectorum opulentia, quando non indiget imperator. quid quod illas innumeras Gothorum cateruas uix scientibus Romanis larga praediorum conlatione ditasti? nihil enim amplius uictores cupiunt et nulla senserunt damna superati. taceo consideratione paginalis eloquii communionis et blandimentorum tuorum mella praeceptis caelestibus instituta non minus rebus nobilitata quam 1 rigor fort. \' 4 positissimis LV1 5 formantur T 6 aequidem B, quidem Z b 7 possint B .8 sati B 13 conualiscunt B 16 aerrariis B1 post pablicis ras. 6—8 litt. L. 17 soli- bamus B 18 iuberunt B 20 homo om. P et Sirm . 21 affluere Pb 23 dinitaaa Ll 24 a L et V s. l. m. 1 imperator om. Sirm . quid quod] quioqdid L 25 gotharu ̃ L ut. uid, cather- scl uas T sci aentientibus B 27 dampna LTV _. uerbis: orationem meam ad ea quae eminentiae tuae debentur uota transduco, quia mecum Galliae in hac adstipulatione conueniunt, ut Christo deo uiuo disponente ordinatis illis, quibus (ciuilitatem post multos annorum circulos intulisti, quos ante te non contigit saporem de Romana libertate gustare, ad Italiam tuam et poscentibus nobis et illis tenentibus reducaris. sic utriusque orbis per sanctas actiones indigena, uenerabilem domum et summates filios cum uniuersis Italiam possidentibus felicis praesentiae tuae dote sublimes. ego autem seruitiis. salutationis exhibitis ualere me nuntio et de uobis quod uoto meo satisfacere possit expecto.