Letter 2061: I had hoped for the vacant plot of land near Naples that adjoins my property from yours, so that I might build a new...

Quintus Aurelius SymmachusUnknown|c. 393 AD|Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
friendshipproperty economics
From: Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
To: [Unnamed correspondent]
Date: ~393 AD
Context: Symmachus discusses a property matter near Naples, thanking a friend for sharing adjacent land for a building project.

I had hoped for the vacant plot of land near Naples that adjoins my property from yours, so that I might build a new house. You, sharing your Lucullan estate with me, and so that modesty does not reject the gift, you deny that what I confess was not mine seems to be yours. Allow me at least to express my gratitude. Do not refuse the thanks of a friend who recognizes generosity even when the giver tries to make it seem like nothing. The site is beautiful, the opportunity is timely, and with your permission I will build something worthy of the location and of our friendship.

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

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