From: Ruricius, bishop of Limoges
To: Celsus
Date: ~489 AD
Context: A delightful short letter accompanying the gift of a horse, with a precise and witty description of the animal's qualities.
To Celsus, lord of my heart — Ruricius.
I have sent the horse you requested: gentle in temperament, strong in limbs, solid in build, handsome in form, well-proportioned in frame, balanced in spirit — neither recklessly fast nor sluggishly slow. The rider's will serves as both his bridle and his spur. He has the willingness and the strength to carry a load, so that he neither buckles under a mounted rider nor throws off what has been placed upon him.
With these qualities duly reported, I send my greetings first and my request second: please keep your promise and come to us for the saints' feast day, God willing, together with your sister.
XIIII. DOMNO PECTORIS SUI CELSO RURICIUS.
Equum, qualem iusseras, destinaui mansuetudine placidum,
membris ualidum, firmum robore, forma praestantem, factura
conpositum, animis temperatum nec praeproperum scilicet uelocitate
nec pigrum (tarditate), cui frenus et stimulus sit sedentis
arbitrium, cui ad euehendum onus et uelle suppetat
pariter et posse, ita ut nec cedat superposito nec deponat inpositum.
his itaque, sicut oportuit, intimatis, salutatione praelata,
pollicitatione dispensa promissa deposcimus, ut ad sollemnitatem
sanctorum ad nos deo propitio una cum sorore
uestra uenire dignemini honorem patronis, fratribus affectum,
gratiam populis praestituri.
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From:Ruricius, bishop of Limoges
To:Celsus
Date:~489 AD
Context:A delightful short letter accompanying the gift of a horse, with a precise and witty description of the animal's qualities.
To Celsus, lord of my heart — Ruricius.
I have sent the horse you requested: gentle in temperament, strong in limbs, solid in build, handsome in form, well-proportioned in frame, balanced in spirit — neither recklessly fast nor sluggishly slow. The rider's will serves as both his bridle and his spur. He has the willingness and the strength to carry a load, so that he neither buckles under a mounted rider nor throws off what has been placed upon him.
With these qualities duly reported, I send my greetings first and my request second: please keep your promise and come to us for the saints' feast day, God willing, together with your sister.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.