Quintus Aurelius Symmachus→Unknown|c. 375 AD|symmachus
Sicily's provincial assembly has sent Ambrosius, one of the leading men of the provincial bar, to our lords and emperors. He carries various petitions that seem to concern the public good.
If you lend him your support, I believe his effort will bear fruit. I ask you, therefore — whether for the merit of the delegation itself or for my sake — to look favorably on this excellent man. He's quite confident that with your backing, his petitions will succeed. Farewell.
Ambrosium de summatibus provincialis fori ad dominos et principes nostros Siciliae
30 commune legavit variis instructum mandatis, quae spectare visa sunt bonum publicum.
huic si fautor accesseris, futurum reor, ut illi pro labore fructus adcommodet. quaeso
igitur vel legationis merito vel meo nomine in optimum virum bene consulas, qui satis
animi confirmatus est, suffragio tuo successuram facilitatem petitionibus promovendis.
2 plennm deUt Mommaen genas] VFMy pectus (/7) noscltnr] VFj n&scitnr M(II) 3 so-
hil /7 colos] {r), colns /7(7^), color VM 4 nin^icias J7, indicia^ V, inditU M sentiendi] /7,
sciendl VM qnod] (Z7), qni VM 5 htec] nec 77 credidistl V 7 et] ego, om. FAf(/7)
8 qnU] VrM, quonitm (77) nolnpUtem r(i7)
litteris qnas (77), nt de coeptiB litteramm stndiis epistnlis, qnas Mommun 12 uel sorores scribam V
nt — 13 snnt 'om. (77) 13 actnnm /7 ratione qnae V 14 dintins me (77) atqne habere
om. (IT) 18 retitendo 77 19 famam debnit (77) 22 dicis] VM(r), dices (77)
28 Symmachns-Ansonio] (77), om, VM 30 nariis instrnctnm] (77), instructnm uariis VM 31 ad-
commodet] T^, aocommodet FAf, accommodent (77)
2*
12 SYMMACHI EPISTVLAE
XVIII (XU) a. 378.
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Sicily's provincial assembly has sent Ambrosius, one of the leading men of the provincial bar, to our lords and emperors. He carries various petitions that seem to concern the public good.
If you lend him your support, I believe his effort will bear fruit. I ask you, therefore — whether for the merit of the delegation itself or for my sake — to look favorably on this excellent man. He's quite confident that with your backing, his petitions will succeed. Farewell.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.