Letter 2068: My written recommendation carries little weight if my friend Leontius is not commended by his own blameless life and...

Quintus Aurelius SymmachusUnknown|c. 395 AD|Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
friendship
From: Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
To: [Unnamed correspondent]
Date: ~395 AD
Context: A brief letter of recommendation for Leontius, noting that his own virtues make formal recommendation almost unnecessary.

My written recommendation carries little weight if my friend Leontius is not commended by his own blameless life and his own merit. Equipped with his own virtues, he does not need the supports of a formal recommendation. And yet, I should not refrain from this kind of letter -- it would be unkind to deny a good man the small courtesy of an introduction. Please receive him as you would any friend of mine, and you will find that his character more than justifies whatever small favor I ask on his behalf.

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

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