Letter 1054: Good gods, how nothing is safe or certain for us mortals!
Good gods, how nothing is safe or certain for us mortals! You'd gone to Baiae to rest and recover. What evil eye cursed your planned retreat?
So Paulina — our shared concern — had reached a dangerous point. Or is your fear for her so great that every minor ailment looks like mortal danger?
Whatever the truth, I can easily imagine the ordeal of sleepless nights and anxious days you've endured. This is our lot as mortals: we're more often visited by trouble than by pleasure. Joys are fleeting, and the enjoyment of anything good is as brief as it is shallow.
But let's leave that kind of talk to the philosophers. For now, let me encourage brighter spirits: since the peace of the gods has restored our dear Paulina's health to solid ground. Farewell.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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