Letter 2024: I practically seized Simplicius, the imperial agent, at the very gate of the Via Flaminia, just to dictate these few...

Quintus Aurelius SymmachusUnknown|c. 377 AD|Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
imperial politicstravel mobility

I practically seized Simplicius, the imperial agent, at the very gate of the Via Flaminia, just to dictate these few essential words to you.

Our boy Flavianus arrived in Rome on the last day of February. He'll soon set out for Asia under favorable auspices. I thought you should know right away, so that the good news would dispel the worry you've been carrying about his delay. Farewell.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.

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