Letter 6080: I got ahead of your inquiry -- knowing you'd be worried when you heard I'd fallen ill -- and although I'd already...
I got ahead of your inquiry -- knowing you'd be worried when you heard I'd fallen ill -- and although I'd already written to say my condition was improving, I'm writing again now to dispel your anxiety (which, among people who truly care, is always slow to believe good news). If Fortune's spite doesn't jinx my words: I'm on the mend.
But the pleasures of the coast haven't sunk in yet. Just as a man who steps ashore after a long rough voyage takes time to find his steady legs again, I need time before the departure of such a severe illness leaves room for enjoyment. So for now I'm taking no pleasure in the Formian shore or in my building project. But all of this, I hope, will return along with my health, and my pen will soon share the good news with your spirits. Farewell.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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