Letter 6007: Your letter was delivered while I was at the seventh milestone on the Ostian road, and I immediately arranged...

Quintus Aurelius SymmachusUnknown|c. 368 AD|Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
education booksillnessimperial politicsslavery captivitytravel mobilitywomen

Your letter was delivered while I was at the seventh milestone on the Ostian road, and I immediately arranged through the distinguished vicarius to have the official records produced at my request. But your slave left town without consulting me — a typical piece of slave insolence. Whether you let that go unpunished is your call. Meanwhile, he let slip that my daughter's illness has flared up again. The news cut deep, and my fear won't subside until I get written confirmation that she's recovered. Please, I beg you, send reassurance right away so that security can replace my dread. Farewell.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.

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