Letter 2003: Your Holiness's letter fed me with spiritual nourishment and stirred me to hope for the future.

From: Taurentius (a cleric or associate) To: Ruricius, bishop of Limoges Date: ~481 AD Context: Taurentius replies to a letter from Bishop Ruricius, praising the spiritual nourishment it brought and listing the great Church Fathers — Cyprian, Augustine, Hilary, Ambrose — as models of eloquence and doctrine. Taurentius to his holy and most blessed lord and father, to be venerated with every devotion and honor, his patron in Christ the Lord, Bishop Ruricius. Your Holiness's letter fed me with spiritual nourishment and stirred me to hope for the future. Its words, radiant with prophetic clarity, shone with the purest light to scatter the darkness of error. I recognize in it the full warmth of love and embrace the sincerity of its pious correction. I find eloquence in its words, perfection in its examples, grace in its counsel, diligence in its duty, constancy in its truth, honesty in its admonition, and proven knowledge in its teaching. You brought before me the venerable names of the ancient interpreters of Scripture and commentators on the divine books — Cyprian, Augustine, Hilary, Ambrose — some blooming with the flower of eloquence, others spiritual in uncovering hidden meanings, others gentle in soothing the understanding of the unlearned, others fierce in defending the faith. We might complain of ages past that they did not produce such men in our own times. The younger generation would certainly have sought out the teaching of those who taught before them. As for me, I recognize my age not by the white of my hair, nor — as Your Beatitude has borrowed from a secular author — by the color of a whitening beard, but even if there were an error in the count, I would still feel the years of old age through the torpor of my limbs and the advance of illness. With every humble prayer I beg that for the correction of my conduct, for inspiring in me the desire to repent, and for the mercy of our Lord, you will intercede in your holy prayers — so that you who show me the steep and toilsome road leading away from that easy path that slopes toward destruction may also obtain for me the beginning of good works and the fulfillment of holy amendment: not through the rod of discipline, but through the medicine of pardon and the gentleness of mercy.

III. DOMINO SANCTO AC BEATISSIMO ET OMNI MIHI CULTU ATQVE HONORE UENERANDO PATRI ET IN CHRISTO DOMINO PATRONO RURICIO EPISCOPO TAURENTIUS. Litterae sanctitatis uestrae me spiritali cibo pastum incitauerunt ad spem futurorum et uerba prophetica claritate 1 benigni v, benigno S inrigastis cf. Rur. ep. II9, ingastis S, intrastis v 2 preciosa S presentiam S 3 possedeam S 7 incrementum v, incremantium S quod S quo-lira. 14 unde] cf. Rur. ep. II9 et 52 8 que S recollatione v 9 dulciscit S 12 quantumcumque v presumere S 13 que S 15 et] ut coni. Momvisenus 16 infelices S, infelicem t, absolutione v, ablutione S 17 redempte S 20 uestre S 21 reuertendam S 22 anni S 28 Turentius n 29 encitauernnt S radiantia ad discutiendas errorum tenebras purissima luce fulserunt. recognosco plenum caritatis affectum et sinceritatem piae castigationis amplector. eloquentiam in uerbis, in exeplis perfectionem, in consilio gratiam, in officio diligentiam, in ueritate constantiam, in admonitione ueritatem, scientiam probatis in dogmate. uos antiquos scripturarum interpretes et diuinorum uoluminum tractatores ueneranda mihi nomina Cyprianum, Augustinum, Hilarium, Ambrosium rettulistis, alios facundiae flore uernantes, alios et in reuelandis occultioribus spiritales, alios mulcendis inperitorum sensibus blandientes, alios in fidei assertione pugnantes. Praeteritae calumniamur aetati, quod uiros illos admiratione dignissimos haec saecula non tulerunt. pro certo doctrinam iuniores ambierant (eorum), qui ante docuerunt. ego autem aetatem meam non de canentium putamine capillorum nec, sicut beatitudo uestra de saeculari auctore mutuata est, de colore barbae albentis agnosco, cum, etiamsi esset error in conputo, senescentis annos de torpore membrorum per morbi incrementa sentirem. sed omni precum humilitate deposco, utpro correctione morum meorum, pro inspirando mihi desiderio paenitendi, pro domini nostri propitiatione in sanctis uestris orationibus supplicetis, ut, qui ad uitandum procliue illius uiae in perniciosa uergentis erectum et cum labore gradiendum iter ostenditis, et ingressum boni operis et piae emendationis obtineatis effectum non in uerbere disciplinae, sed in indulgentiae medicina et misericordiae lenitate. hanc quoque uobis conferte mercedem: debetis enim fenus domino de thesauro, qui 2 recognusoo S 4 offitio S indulgentiam v 5 admunitione S ueritatem] et add. v 6 probatis expungi uult Mommsenus interpretis S Q 7 tractares S 8 agustinum S hylarium S ratuj.Iistis S, sed et illustres v 9 facundie S 11 fide S 12 praeteritae v, preteritate S 14 iuniores scripsi, iunioris S ambirent v eorum addidi, om. S 15 eam v potamine S 16 seculari S 17 barbe S etiamsi] non add. v essem t. error om. t\' 18 num senescentes scribendum ? de torpore Kr., decorpore S, decrepitos r 19 omni scripsi, omnium S 22 supplicitis S 23 uergentes S rectum r 25 ueruere S, feruore t. 27 fgnus S fidei uestrae traditus et a uobis illo commendante susceptus est. adquirite desperantes, arguite neglegentes, deditos somno ignauae securitatis excutite, resides excitate. decet ouem perditam in umeris suis bonum reportare pastorem et munitioribus caulis eas, quibus lupus insidiatur, includere. Sanctum Augustinum, sicut iusseratis, inueni, quem cum filio communi Rustico presbytero esse credebam. operae pretium est, ut admiremini studium meum, quod, quae opuscula contineret, hucusque (qui) nesciui, sane capitulatim iam librum traditurus inspexi. chartaceus liber est et ad ferendum iniuriam parum fortis, quia citius charta, sicut nostis, uetustate consumitur. legite, si iubetis, atque transcribite. et spero, ut, postquam uobis bene cognitus fuerit, ad me, cui est incognitus, remittatur, quia corrigere neglegentiam meam frequentata membranae ipsius lectione dispono. ora pro me.