Letter 6063: Old custom dictates that the person leaving home should send the first letter.
Old custom dictates that the person leaving home should send the first letter. But it seemed too long to wait for yours -- and I don't fault you for the delay -- so I've broken with tradition and written first. It's your turn now to gladly repay what you should have started, and to put pen to paper with news of your health.
We're at Arabiana [a family estate], waiting for my dear daughter's arrival. I'm trusting that the approaching holiday season will bring you as well, our family's pride, without delay. Farewell.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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