Letter 2023: I had thought that my many admonitions and encouragements had added some measure of endurance to your spirit.
I had thought that my many admonitions and encouragements had added some measure of endurance to your spirit. But no — you are even troubling our venerable family connections with complaints about your time abroad. What good does it do to grieve over what cannot be changed? The wise man adapts to necessity rather than fighting it.
Consider this: your exile, if we may call it that, is not punishment but circumstance. Many of the greatest Romans spent long years away from the city and returned with enhanced reputations. Use this time well — read, write, reflect — and when you return, you will find your friends' affection undiminished and your own character strengthened. Farewell.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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