Letter 5050: It is the mark of youthful vigor to rouse wild beasts from their woodland lairs and to pursue liberal studies with...

It belongs to youthful energy to rouse wild beasts from the forest glades and to vary one's liberal studies with the pleasures of the woodland. So in days of old the tireless Marsian and the hardy Sabine had their strength. Let things won in our own years go forward. There is an instance of this kindly indulgence in certain birds, that age in its turn brings nourishment back to those growing old. But it is not yet suited to my health [...] [Here the manuscripts give a passage of editorial apparatus, recording variant readings among the codices P, V, M, and F: "porphyriae" in P, "porphiriae" in V; at line 13 "cineres" in M, "cerneres" in PV; line 14 "iusti"; line 17 "itaque" in V, "ista" in M, "coherens" in P; line 18 "emittam potius" in P; line 20 "Sperchio" in M, "sperthio" in PV, "itte" in V; line 21 "cedat" (Wmgcndorp), "credat" in PVM; line 22 various; line 23 "ad eum" in V, "ad ipsum" in M. At line 28 the subscription and heading: "Here ends Symmachus's letter to Paternus; here begins the same author's letter to Olybrius and Probinus" in P, "here begins the letter to Olybrius and Probinus" in F, omitted in V; the page heading reads "144 The Letters of Symmachus." Further notes record "iuuenilis" in V, "habuerer" in P, the conjecture "robur aluerunt," "ut" rendered as "it" in P, and "oportet" in V.] to feed on the flesh of wild game, and yet the necessity of frugality has not diminished in my eyes the favor of your gift. For although abstaining from such use looks after my health, nonetheless the honor of your gift has satisfied my spirit.

luvenalis industriae est excire saltibns feras et liberalia stndia silvestri voluptate distingnere. sic olim Marsus inpiger et fortis Sabellns robnr habuemnt. nostris annis parta proficiant. est huius indulgentiae in quibusdam avibns exemplum, nt nutrimenta senescentibns aetas vicissim prima conportet. sed nondnm convenit yaletndini meae porfyriae P, porphiriae V 13 cineres] M, cerneres PV 14 iusti (iu m ra»,) P 17 itaque V, ista M coherens (co in ras,) P 1 m, 18 emlttam pelius P 20 Sperchio] Af(r), sperthio PV itte V 1 m, 21 cedat] Wmgcndorp, credat PVM 22 snpBsa V, isU M 23 ad eum in ras, V 2 m., ad ipsum M 28 «q* aur. symmachi uc explic ad patemu. incip eiusdem ad olybriu et probinum P, incipit ad oli- brinm et probinum F, om. V 30 om, VF symmacus P 31 iuuenilis V 32 habuerer P fort. scrib, robnr alnerunt 33 ut] /t P 34 oportet V 144 SYMMACHI EPISTVLAE PVF uti ferinis yisceribas, nec tamen gratiam muneris vestri minuit apnd me necessitas parsimoniae. nam etsi utendi abstinentia sanitati meae consulit, honor tamen maneris animo satisfecit. LXVIII (LXVI).