Letter 7061: I feel the affection you think it right to return, but I'm deeply surprised that you suspect my son Flavianus -- who...

Quintus Aurelius SymmachusLonginianum|c. 393 AD|Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
friendship

I feel the affection you think it right to return, but I'm deeply surprised that you suspect my son Flavianus -- who embraces you with equal love -- of being cold in his friendship toward you. If my assurance carries any weight, please let it dispel that belief. Shut out certain people's whispers and hold fast to the constancy that befits your noble character and your bond of friendship.

If some hostile remark has reached your ears, share it with me. I consider it deeply unjust to let suspicion take root between friends when a frank conversation can pull it out. Farewell.

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

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