Letter 5016: I had every intention of making the journey, but the late summons left too little time to arrive.
I had every intention of making the journey, but the late summons left too little time to arrive. It seemed more decent to beg your pardon than to appear after the consul's ceremony was already finished. I have already sent the fullest explanations to our most merciful emperor and to all who wished me present — letters that even now the agent Festus delays by his slowness in departing.
Since I fear my letters may either be suppressed or tampered with by rivals, I decided to write to you directly as well. Farewell.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Votum mihi non defuit itineris ordiendi, sed tarda evocatio perveniendi tempus
artavit, atque ideo verecundius visum est veniam poscere quam peracto consulis offi- 25
cio pervenire. supcr hoc plenissimas et ad d. n. clementissimum principem dudum
litteras dedi et ad ceteros, qui me adesse voluemnt, quas etiam nunc Festus agens in
2 rebus proficiscendi cunctatione remoratur. et quia vereor, ne aut lateant suppressa,
quae scripsi, aut per aemulos resoluta vitientur. consilium fuit, ut ad te dominum et
curam M 5 pro qua Mercer 6 contemplatio corr. ex oomemplatio P
21 qf auf symmachi. u c. explicit ad magnillum inoip eiusdem ad efestionem P, om. VF 23 sym-
macus efestioni P, om. F, ad magniUum F 24 adiendi V perueniendi ad effectionem tempus F
fratrem meum exemplaria omnia mitteremus. erit tuae circa me adfectionis de omnium PVF
rerum fidelitate rescribere. reddentur vobis etiam chartulae curas domesticas continen-
tes, quis decursis aestimabitis, quid bonorum temporum iustitia et fama desideret.
XXXV (xxxni).
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