Letter 1013: Your daughter's birthday was approaching, and the gifts you'd sent arrived at just the right moment.

Your daughter's birthday was approaching, and the gifts you'd sent arrived at just the right moment. They were enormously dear and welcome to us. A kindness done for people far away is felt with even greater warmth. We immediately read the letter that accompanied the gifts and began eagerly waiting for you to write that you were setting out on the Appian Way to join us. But the letter said nothing of the sort. I questioned the messenger: had some sudden crisis upset your plans? He said your resolve was perfectly firm, but you were delaying until the house at Formiae could be stocked with provisions and supplies. That put my mind at ease. I give you my word: your table and your household staff and your livestock will want for nothing. Consider this letter my written guarantee. My affection seals the promise. I won't let down the people I long to embrace. Farewell. --- [Second part: Symmachus writing to his father about an inspection] It was the censors' job to inspect public works they'd commissioned. You asked me to take on that task, and I've done as you asked — partly because I owed you obedience, partly because the assignment suited my own interests. So here's how much progress has been made in our house: the stairs have been given a marble facing; the upper rooms are being paneled with wall-slabs, fitted so smoothly that the joints look like solid stone. The columns you bought cost no more than if they'd been a gift. They're cut from Bithynian stone, if my eyes serve me right. That's what you need to know for now. Going forward, I'll report whatever further progress I see in the construction.

Gum iam filiae vestrae dies natalis adpeteret, commodum aderant, quae muneri miseratis. ea nobis inmane quantum cara et gravia fuere. nam si quid in absentes bene consulas, inpensu maiore gaudetur. ilico amplexi litteras, quae prosequebantur oblata. in expectatione esse coepimus, quam mox vobis capessendum iter Appiae scri- 2 beretis. nihil horum pagina nuntiabat. percontor tabellarium, num constantiam de- 10 creti rernm subita turbassent. ait sententiam nihil claudicare, sed placita differri, donicum statio Formiana multa fruge et aliis hoc genus in usnm necessariis instruatur. tunc mihi animus ab aegritudine remigravit. do fidem, nihil herili mensae, nihil ser- vitiis aut pecori defuturum. ne mihi sit dicti huius posthac negatio, en vobis chiro- graphi instar litteras meas. sponsionem meam stipulat adfectio. neque enim patiar 15 decipi, quos opto conplecti. vale. XII (VI) ante a. 376. PATRI SYMMAGHVS. Censorum notio fuit spectare opera, quae locassent; hoc me negotium curare voluisti. mos gestus est imperatis, vel quod tibi dicto audiens esse debui, vel quod 20 studio meo congrue mandatum munus agnovi. audi igitur quantam in aedibus nostris cura promoverit. scalis subpectus est honor marmoris; superiora conclavia crustis teguntur, ea operis levitate, ut conpago solidum mentiatur. columnas nihilo amplius mercatus es, quam si tibi muneri contigissent. eas Bithyno lapide caesas, si bene oculis utor, existimo. hactenus est, quod scire debueris. deinceps tantum adiciemus 2s cognitioni tuae, quantum aedificationi viderimus accedere. 1 concessimus] VAf(r'), cessimus {U) renun om, V 2 hoc] VFM, om, (11) 3 paramnft absamere] VFM^ coramus assumere (U) offensa uestri silentii] VFM^ offensae intenientu (IT) 5 Patri Symmacbus] (Z7), om. VM 7 inmane quantum] ScioppiuBy in commune inmane quantum AfomnMen, in commune quantum VF, in omne quam 11 * 8 bene] VFM^ boni (Z7) litteras quae] FAf, cetera (11) 9 quam] VF, quia (U) apiae VM 10 decretl] (11) , decreU VM 15 stipulat] VAf, stipulatur (11) enim] me (U) 16 quos] nam eos (11) 18 Patrl SymmacliuB] (i7), om, VM 19 spectare] ««*»care n 20 dicto om, (U) 21 no- stra cura ht/reiut 22 anbpActna (Iir) 23 solarum (U) columnis nihil (/7) 24 mer- catus 08 om. (U) munere concessissent (U) bythin}o V, bithino Af(Z7) 25 oculis utor] ««*« (11) debueris] VAf(r), debueraa (U) 26 aediflcationi] cod. Pithoeiy eliciUtioni Af(i7), eUci- tationi tuae V AD AVSONIVM. VMH Xni (VH) a. 376.