Letter 7062: ...may he carry back your lasting affection and a greeting in return.

To Petronius and Patruinus. I hope you receive this greeting in full health and happy prosperity. It will be delivered by that excellent man Desiderius, whose pure life wins him the highest praise. This page, a witness of my dutiful regard, will bring back great good to me if it draws you deeply into friendship with its bearer. As for whether you should deign to reply, I do not think I need to plead with one who loves me as you do. My one wish is that the man I commend may win your favor, and that he may return as a herald of your kindness -- the practical benefit of which will redound to his advantage, while the gratification of it will overflow to me. To Petronius and Patruinus. I see now that the honor of my son Flavianus has lain dormant until now so that a better sponsor might arise for it. He had fallen into the gift of a tyrant, when he deserved to be reserved for the judgment of a better time. And the loss of his prefecture actually served him, because it changed the author of his advancement. What words, then, can match so great a gift? Join with us, I beg you, in rendering thanks to the most distinguished man. For since each of us individually is overmatched by the magnitude of the thing, many voices of praise are needed so that the chorus may match the weight of the debt. And truly the lord of my heart, from whom the benefit proceeded, measures his deed not by another's words but by the joy of his own conscience. He is well aware that his gifts are of such a nature as to surpass all hope of repayment. We, however, will repay the debt of gratitude with the fidelity of friendship and devoted service, and we offer as pledges of this our children -- who satisfy their parents, the authors of their existence, through bonds of natural love. For in pious contracts, love is sufficient.

10 petuum amorem vestrum, mihi mutuam reportet salutationem. CIII (Cn) a. 398—399. AD PETRONIVM ET PATRVINVM. PVM Opto ut hanc salutationem vigoris integer et prosperis laetus accipias. tradetur autem per optimum virum Desiderium, cui maximam laudem pura vita conciliat, testis 15 haec officii mei pagina relatura ad me plurimum boni, si te plurimum in amicitiam tradentis adtraxerit. nam ut respondere digneris, enitendum mihi prae tuo amore non arbitror. haec una voti mei cura est, ut tuum favorem commendatus adquirat redeatque laudator beneficiorum tuorum, quorum utilitas ad illius commodum, ad meum sensum gratulatio redundabit. 20 CIIII (Cni) a. 399. AD PETRONIVM ET PATRVINVM. Video Flaviani filii mei honorem propterea hucusque iacuisse, ut ei testis melior leveniret. inciderat in tyranni beneficium iudicio bonorum temporum reservandus, et VMTI praestitit illi amissio praefecturae, quod mutavit auctorem. quae igitur verba tantum 25 mnnns aequabunt? coniungite , oro , vos nobis ad referendas praecelso viro gratias. nam cum sin|guli vincamur rei magnitudine, opus est laudatoribus multis, ut nume- PVM Tosnm munus impleat onus debiti. et sane dominus pectoris mei, a quo profectum 2 est beneficium, non ex alterius verbis sed ex gaudio conscientiae mensuram facti sni 1 hls PVM 2 ualere VM 3 suspitatis V sub hac imcriptione eonfusae repertuntur episttUae partim ad Petronium, parthn ad Patruinwn, partim ad utrumque pratrem datae; prima ad utrumque pertinere videtur 6 percognitis VF 8 internos P, inter nos My in nos V^ om, F 9 sibi reduxit F 12 om, VM; epiat. non ad fratrem uirumque^ aed ad unum iantum seripta eat 14 per] pro P 1 m. 17 adquirlt P 1 m, inde ab melior non aervata aunt in P nisi haec: 23 flcium iu . . . uandus sed pre . . . 24 fecturae quod mutai . . . igitur — tantum m&n ... 25 ciungite — nobis a . . . das praecelso — gratias n ... 26 guli uincamur usque ad finem 23 et] ego^ sed PVM 24 amisi K, amisso n praefecturaeque mu- tauit V, prefecturae qoae immntauit M 25 munus] man// P 1 m. 26 uincamus V magni- tudinem V, magnitud/// P uumerosnm] eyo, numerum V, //meru P 1 m., //meri P 3 m. (/7), numerus M 20G SYMMACHI EPISTVLAE PVM colligit nec ignorat, talia esse, quae praestat, ut vincat spem solutioms. nos tamen gratiae vicem fide amicitiae et observantiae rependemus damusque huins rei animos obsides, quibus satisfaciunt liberi lucis auctoribus. piis enim contractibus amor sufficit. CV a. 399. 5 PVMF AD PATRVmVM. Agendis d. m. comiti excellentissimo viro gratiis par esse non potest mediocritas VMF Iverborum meorum. tibi igitur hoc munus iniungo , ut de impetratis evectionibus in adminiculum praetoriae functionis habitum mentis meae apud eum plenius exequaris simulque digneris eniti, ut in rem missis celer ad Hispanias transitus impetretur. 10 PVMF adpetit enim tempus praetoriae functionis, | metusque est mihi, ne equorum curulium 2 tarda emptio et morosa deductio sollicitis artetur angustiis. de hoc etiam sublimem virum et praecellentissimum comitem securus impetrationis oravi. adieci praeterea commonitionem , cuius suffragator esse dignaberis, ut si molesta petitio non videtur, familiares meos datis ad potissimos Hispanorum litteris prosequatur. satis dictum est. i& si quid aliud tuis auribus amicorum meorum sermo suggesserit, oro, ut in curam sancti et fidissimi pectoris tui recipere non graveris. CVI a. 399.