Letter 3033: I'm repeating my request on behalf of my friend Sallustius — whom, as you yourself confirmed, you've already taken...

Quintus Aurelius SymmachusUnknown|c. 382 AD|Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
barbarian invasionfriendshipimperial politics

I'm repeating my request on behalf of my friend Sallustius — whom, as you yourself confirmed, you've already taken under your wing. Not because I'm afraid you'll forget your charge through carelessness — sticking faithfully to your commitments is second nature to you — but because my friend's precarious situation keeps me on edge, and one letter of recommendation isn't always enough for a man in trouble.

So I'm reminding you again, even though you're perfectly reliable. The speed of your assistance will spare me the need to keep writing about the same thing.

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

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