Letter 5053: You have opened the door to correspondence late.

You have opened the door to correspondence late. It was your duty to begin this exchange of letters, as the sweetness of friendship demands. Now that the way is open, let us not allow it to close again. The pleasures of correspondence are too great to be sacrificed to laziness. I have much to share with you and look forward to hearing your news in return.

Aditum mihi ad scribendnm sero reserastis. vos enim oportuit inchoare libaniina 30 litteramm, quia inveterati moris est, ut qui ad peregrina discedit, alternandis epistulis 10 Sall. Catil. 4, 1. 3 animositas fecit V aprinos P ^ m. VM a///gere P 10 dedi/A//// P recuao] re//// P qneram V 11 seru/// P statnerat F probandis V, perblandns F 14 electio F 15 nel grecis F eipost alacri inser. V nan/i P, nandi V 19 naca/ione P litteris VM formiam V, formam M 23 antehoc dare V 1 m.y antehac dore V 2 m., hoc ante con- ferre M bna P l m. 24 cognitam V iam quamqnam] tgo^ iam qnam PV^ grauiter Af praestet auspicium. ergo absolutus observantiae religione et nunc vobis vicem salu- PVF tationis rependo et in reliquum, 8i fors obtulerit commeantes, adsiduitatem spondeo familiarium paginarum, ut vobis possit liquere, non in mea culpa sed in vestra mora fuisse, quod silui. 5 LXXI (LXVnil).