Letter 5075: I have been sent to Milan by the Senate to implore the aid of our divine emperor.

From: Quintus Aurelius Symmachus To: [Unnamed correspondent] Date: ~398 AD Context: Symmachus reports that he has been sent to Milan by the Senate to petition the emperor. I have been sent to Milan by the Senate to implore the aid of our divine emperor. The mission is urgent, the stakes are high, and the outcome uncertain. But duty leaves no room for hesitation, and the cause is just. I will write to you as soon as the audience has taken place and I have news to report. In the meantime, pray for success -- not for me, but for the city and the people I represent.

Mediolanium sum missus a patribus ad exorandam divini principis opem, quam communis patriae sollicitudo poscebat. celerem mihi reditum praefata dei venia res prosperae pollicentur. sed praesentia laeta cumnlabis, si per litteras mihi cognitio 25 tuae salutis acbesserit. vale. LXXXXVI (LXXXXIIII) a. 402.