Letter 45
Unknown→Baebius Hispanus|c. 502 AD|ruricius limoges
From: Ruricius, bishop of Limoges
To: Hispanus
Date: ~502 AD
Context: A charming thank-you for gifts of fish from the Dordogne, turning the exchange into a meditation on love as the true feast.
From Bishop Ruricius to the lord Hispanus.
I give thanks that by sending us the spoils of the Dordogne, you have proven the sincerity of your devotion toward me. Your love delights me even more than the delicacies — for with the food we satisfy the hunger of the body, but with your affection we nourish a hunger that never ends. So we give thanks for both your love and your gift, and in return we send our warmest greetings and pray for your health. Since you are kind enough to inquire about ours, know that we are well, by God's mercy.
XXXXV. AD DOMNUM HISPANUM RURICII EPISCOPI.
Ago gratias, quod, dum nobis Doranoniae spolia transmittitis,
pietatem uestram erga me sincerissimam conprobatis, qua nos
amplius quam deliciis delectamur, siquidem inde esuriem corporis
conpescimus, hinc cordis, inde uentri transitorium porrigimus
pastum, hinc uero animo mansurum praebemus affectum.
proinde tam amori quam muneri uestro gratias repensantes
reciprocis pietatem uestram plurimum sospitamus. et quia de
nostra dignaris esse salute sollicitus, iuxta uota pietatis uestrae
me ualere significo simulque deposco, ubi sanctum pascha facturi
sitis, me recurrentibus instruatis.
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From: Ruricius, bishop of Limoges
To: Hispanus
Date: ~502 AD
Context: A charming thank-you for gifts of fish from the Dordogne, turning the exchange into a meditation on love as the true feast.
From Bishop Ruricius to the lord Hispanus.
I give thanks that by sending us the spoils of the Dordogne, you have proven the sincerity of your devotion toward me. Your love delights me even more than the delicacies — for with the food we satisfy the hunger of the body, but with your affection we nourish a hunger that never ends. So we give thanks for both your love and your gift, and in return we send our warmest greetings and pray for your health. Since you are kind enough to inquire about ours, know that we are well, by God's mercy.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.