Letter 7039: You tempt me with talk of the Campanian coast, but here at our Praenestine estate [near modern Palestrina, in the...
You tempt me with talk of the Campanian coast, but here at our Praenestine estate [near modern Palestrina, in the hills southeast of Rome] we have no shortage of pleasures either. People may differ -- most put the seaside above the mountains -- but I maintain that wooded uplands are better for escaping summer heat than open, cultivated land.
You'd dangled another enticement: my son Flavianus would soon be joining you. Well, I've been enjoying his company for some time. Which tells you my situation is considerably better -- I have both the cool hills and the company you lack.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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