Letter 5019: Your son has abducted the daughter of my nurse — an outrage that would have made enemies of us both, had I not...

Sidonius to his friend Pudens. Your son has abducted the daughter of my nurse — an outrage that would have made enemies of us both, had I not realized at once that you were unaware it was going to happen. But having first cleared your conscience, you now ask for impunity for the offense while the crime is still hot. I grant it, on one condition: that you release the ravisher from his hereditary tenant status as his patron rather than his master. As for the woman — she is now free. She will only appear to have been taken for marriage rather than delivered to disgrace if our offender, for whom you plead, promptly becomes a client instead of a tribute-payer and begins to hold the status of a freedman rather than a tenant farmer. This is the only settlement or satisfaction that even moderately repairs the insult to me. I yield to your wishes and our friendship on this point: let freedom release a husband, so that punishment does not seize a rapist. Farewell.

EPISTULA XIX Sidonius Pudenti suo salutem. 1. Nutricis meae filiam filius tuae rapuit: facinus indignum quodque nos vosque inimicasset, nisi protinus scissem te nescisse faciendum. sed conscientiae tuae purgatione praelata petere dignaris culpae calentis impunitatem. sub condicione concedo: si stupratorem pro domino iam patronus originali solvas inquilinatu. 2. mulier autem illa iam libera est; quae tum demum videbitur non ludibrio addicta sed assumpta coniugio, si reus noster, pro quo precaris, mox cliens factus e tributario plebeiam potius incipiat habere personam quam colonariam. nam meam haec sola seu compositio seu satisfactio vel mediocriter contumeliam emendat; qui tuis votis atque amicitiis hoc adquiesco, si laxat libertas maritum, ne constringat poena raptorem. vale.