Letter 4005: Your silence has been long, and I've endured it patiently in the hope that you'd eventually write.

Quintus Aurelius SymmachusStilichonem|c. 367 AD|Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
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Your silence has been long, and I've endured it patiently in the hope that you'd eventually write. But since you continue to hold back, I'm stepping forward with this greeting and asking for a reply. There's no shortage of carriers — what's been lacking is your initiative. I won't press the point further; just know that whatever the delay, my affection remains unchanged. Farewell.

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

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