Letter 5022: We ought to help our friends when they ask for what's just — especially our friend Alexander, whom we approve in...
We ought to help our friends when they ask for what's just — especially our friend Alexander, whom we approve in judgment and embrace in affection. Though you know he's not the kind of man moved by desire for honors, our shared sense of propriety won't let his military service go unrecognized.
The emperor Valentinian had already granted him the rank of tribune and notary [a prestigious title] before the usurper's invasion. I ask, therefore, that with your support he may secure the official recognition of this imperial appointment. Under so pious a ruler of the republic, it should be easy for the humanity of the age to overcome an individual's misfortunes.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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