Letter 1037: They say snails, when they're thirsty and no dew falls from the sky, survive on their own moisture.

They say snails, when they're thirsty and no dew falls from the sky, survive on their own moisture. That's been my situation — abandoned by the nourishment of your eloquence, I sustain myself on what little I have. You've put off writing for a long time now, and I'm beginning to worry that a father's affection might actually be closing its door on me. If I'm wrong about that, then prove it: make answering my letters your first priority, ahead of everything else.

Aiunt cocleas, cum sitiunt roris atque illis de caelo nihil liquitur, suco proprio victitare. ea res mihi usu venit, qui desertus pastu eloquii tui meo adhuc rore susten- tor. din scribendi operam protulisti et vereor, ne forte in nos parentis claudat ad- fectio. si falsa me opinio habet, facito, ut ceteris negotiis tuis respondendi cura praevortat. so 10 Cic. pro Planc. 6, 16. 26 Plaut. Captiv. 80. 1 mici A^ isti V omniam] VFA\ bominam A^ aut qoisquam VF, ut quisqoam A^^ qoisquamne A^ 2 conpatus Ai 1 m, ita ad aesopi F sopbisticas Isocratis] i7, sophisticas ysooratis A^, sopMstica si socratis V, sopisticas (oorr. 2 m.) socratis A^, ad sopbisticas socratis F 3 con- clusionis V ita om, A entimemata A, entbimemata VF demostenis A^VF ut opolen- b tiam V 4 uestri /7 affecUt VF 5 enm A^ / m. bec A^ 6 slace A^ 7 dom] cum F commitatu A^ 8 aebo A^ 1 m. praemi A^ 1 m. 9 peregrem A^ 10 legit A^ me tibi] VF^ ibi me A et parente et amico 0 11 quit A^ sensi 0 12 bec comemora- tio A^ i m. sosie A^ 1 m. illut A^ 1 m/ 13 quoque quod F pene A^ 14 ot A^ 1 m. adoc A^ l m, 15 oegetatom F 16 ortabor A^ mare ut efHuat VF 17 nobis quoqoe V sit VF agitator instigabo n 18 satis VF aliquit A* peniten A^ 1 m, 19 si oontra id ebenisset (eorr. in euenisset 2 m.) A\ sit contra id uenisset A^ tu om, F mici A^ persua- dere A^ 1 m. 20 noscere] nos A^ 21 abes A^ 1 m,, babes A^ 2 m. A^VF conpendi A^ epistola A^ taroen tamen A^ 22 tibi] F, si F, om. A 23 agnoberis A^ 1 m,^ cognooeris V iobes A^ I m. fobisti A^ 1 m, 25 Symmacbos Aosonio] (/7), om. VF 26 dom U roris] LaUnw Latiniw, aeris VJIF nibii iniquitur F 27 uititare V pastos eloquii tui JJ, eloquii tui pastu F 28 dlstolisti F claudicet F 29 fal^um Seiopphis fac F XXXnn (XXVni) post a. 369.