Quintus Aurelius Symmachus→Unknown|c. 383 AD|symmachus
They say snails, when they're thirsty and no dew falls from the sky, survive on their own moisture. That's been my situation — abandoned by the nourishment of your eloquence, I sustain myself on what little I have.
You've put off writing for a long time now, and I'm beginning to worry that a father's affection might actually be closing its door on me. If I'm wrong about that, then prove it: make answering my letters your first priority, ahead of everything else.
Aiunt cocleas, cum sitiunt roris atque illis de caelo nihil liquitur, suco proprio
victitare. ea res mihi usu venit, qui desertus pastu eloquii tui meo adhuc rore susten-
tor. din scribendi operam protulisti et vereor, ne forte in nos parentis claudat ad-
fectio. si falsa me opinio habet, facito, ut ceteris negotiis tuis respondendi cura
praevortat. so
10 Cic. pro Planc. 6, 16. 26 Plaut. Captiv. 80.
1 mici A^ isti V omniam] VFA\ bominam A^ aut qoisquam VF, ut quisqoam A^^
qoisquamne A^ 2 conpatus Ai 1 m, ita ad aesopi F sopbisticas Isocratis] i7, sophisticas
ysooratis A^, sopMstica si socratis V, sopisticas (oorr. 2 m.) socratis A^, ad sopbisticas socratis F 3 con-
clusionis V ita om, A entimemata A, entbimemata VF demostenis A^VF ut opolen-
b
tiam V 4 uestri /7 affecUt VF 5 enm A^ / m. bec A^ 6 slace A^ 7 dom]
cum F commitatu A^ 8 aebo A^ 1 m. praemi A^ 1 m. 9 peregrem A^ 10 legit A^
me tibi] VF^ ibi me A et parente et amico 0 11 quit A^ sensi 0 12 bec comemora-
tio A^ i m. sosie A^ 1 m. illut A^ 1 m/ 13 quoque quod F pene A^ 14 ot A^ 1 m.
adoc A^ l m, 15 oegetatom F 16 ortabor A^ mare ut efHuat VF 17 nobis quoqoe V
sit VF agitator instigabo n 18 satis VF aliquit A* peniten A^ 1 m, 19 si oontra
id ebenisset (eorr. in euenisset 2 m.) A\ sit contra id uenisset A^ tu om, F mici A^ persua-
dere A^ 1 m. 20 noscere] nos A^ 21 abes A^ 1 m,, babes A^ 2 m. A^VF conpendi A^
epistola A^ taroen tamen A^ 22 tibi] F, si F, om. A 23 agnoberis A^ 1 m,^ cognooeris V
iobes A^ I m. fobisti A^ 1 m,
25 Symmacbos Aosonio] (/7), om. VF 26 dom U roris] LaUnw Latiniw, aeris VJIF
nibii iniquitur F 27 uititare V pastos eloquii tui JJ, eloquii tui pastu F 28 dlstolisti F
claudicet F 29 fal^um Seiopphis fac F
XXXnn (XXVni) post a. 369.
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They say snails, when they're thirsty and no dew falls from the sky, survive on their own moisture. That's been my situation — abandoned by the nourishment of your eloquence, I sustain myself on what little I have.
You've put off writing for a long time now, and I'm beginning to worry that a father's affection might actually be closing its door on me. If I'm wrong about that, then prove it: make answering my letters your first priority, ahead of everything else.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.