Letter 6030: Opportunities to send you greetings must be sought out when they're scarce and seized when they appear -- especially...

Quintus Aurelius SymmachusUnknown|c. 380 AD|Quintus Aurelius Symmachus|AI-assisted
friendshipillnessmonasticismtravel mobilitywomen

Opportunities to send you greetings must be sought out when they're scarce and seized when they appear -- especially at a time when I'm worried about my daughter's health, which I believe has been further weakened by fasting. Put my fears to rest with news that she's improving.

My own step is still unsteady, but if a reply brings good news about you, my body's complaints will immediately ease. I should also mention that a legal summons drove Martinianus away. Such terror was struck into him over his long-delayed departure for Gaul that he had to leave ahead of schedule.

AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.

Latin / Greek Original

10 Dicendae vobis Falutis occasio et quaerenda est mihi saepe, si desit, et amplec-

tenda, si praesto sit, eo maidme tempore, quo de filiae meae sanitate sollicitor, cuius
valetudinem credo etiam ieiuniis sauciatam. absolvite igitur metum nostrum nuntio
prosperorum. mihi etiam nunc gressus infirmus est, sed si optata de vobis mutuus
sermo pertulerit, protinus corporis mei querella sedabitur. non omiserim iungere huic 2

15 paginae, quod Martinianum conventio iudicialis expulerit. cui tantus terror incussus
est ob omissam din ad Gallias profectionem , ut ei necesse fnerit praevenire itinere
privato exhibitionis iniuriam. de Atellano quid fieri velimus, amico interveniente quae-
sivit auditor. respondi post iudicium sacerdotis solam me expectare vindictam con-
flatae nuper invidiae. nihilominus in arbitrium tuum statuenda reieci. quaeso igitur, 3

'20 ut inter feriarum moras, quid facto opus sit, digneris aperire, simnlque cogites, con-
tra interventum tot antistitum quid possit magis quam quid debeat impetrari. neque
enim iustitiae et innocentiae defem plurimum potest, cum illis reverentia religionis
opponitur.

XXX (XXXI) a. 398.

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