Letter 3049: Everything goes according to my wishes when I am granted the knowledge of your good health.
Everything goes according to my wishes when I am granted the knowledge of your good health. I consider nothing more important in our exchange of letters than this simple assurance. A man may lose his fortune, his office, even his reputation, and recover them all. But health, once lost, may never return. So when you write to me, put your health first -- everything else is secondary. I am well myself, and I pray that the gods keep us both so.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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