Letter 1050: Shortly afterward, I had promised to support the son of my friend Trygetius as a candidate for the praetorship...

Quintus Aurelius SymmachusUnknown|c. 388 AD|Quintus Aurelius Symmachus|AI-assisted
barbarian invasionfriendshipillnesstravel mobility

Shortly afterward, I had promised to support the son of my friend Trygetius as a candidate for the praetorship [junior magistracy]. Duty demanded that I seize the opportunity of that scheduled appearance to fulfill an obligation to my father that was still owed by me — though, as I said, already discharged by the Senate itself.

So on the fifth day before the Ides of January [January 9th], I addressed the full Senate. When the transcript reaches you, your own reaction will tell you what others thought. For my part, uncertain of your verdict, I decided to keep quiet about everyone else's opinions, so as not to seem to prejudge you with the weight of so distinguished an assembly's approval.

AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.

Latin / Greek Original

dulgentia {F) 31 patior V tibi feoisse VM

qnendi apud collegas adtulit dies', egit pater seDatui gratiam ea facundiae gravitate, VMII
qna notas est. kalendae tanc erant, qaibus annas aperitar. brevi interyallo cam 2
familiaris mei Trygeti filio praetorio candidato operam spopondissem , animam religio
eonyenit, at occasione destinati officii obirem manas adhac a me patri debitam sed,
b at dixi , ab illo senatai iam solatam. ergo a. d. qaintam Idas lanaarias verba fed
in amplissimo ordine ; qaae abi in manns taas venerint, ex tao animo conicies iadicia
ceteroram. ego sab^incerto examinis tai alioram sententias occalendas patavi, ne te
praeiadicio tanti ordinis viderer argaere.

XXXXV (XXXVini) ante a. 385.

Related Letters