Letter 6040: Our friend Severus has been released from his public troubles and is heading home to enjoy some peace.

Quintus Aurelius SymmachusUnknown|c. 385 AD|Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
friendship

Our friend Severus has been released from his public troubles and is heading home to enjoy some peace. Your brother the vicar [deputy governor] received him warmly, helped both by your letter of introduction and by the old friendship between them.

My own worries about the praetorian games are mounting. I mention this so you'll understand that your help is genuinely needed. I'm not trying to be a demanding taskmaster -- I know my needs must come after your own convenience -- but if I'm judging correctly, a few weeks' rest should be enough for your recovery, and then you could join me. I've briefly laid out my wishes; what actually happens I leave to your judgment. It will be more admirable for you and more gratifying to me if it comes from willing affection rather than obligation. Farewell.

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

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