Letter 7065: The most august senate has appointed my lord and son Attalus as envoy to our lords and emperors, chosen from among...

To Patruinus. The most august senate has appointed my lord and son Attalus, chosen from among the leading men, as envoy to our lords and emperors, equipped with the customary instructions. The matters in question concern the public good. If you lend him your support, I believe the fruit of his labor will be secured. I ask, therefore, that you look favorably upon this excellent man, whether for the sake of the embassy or in my name. He is sufficiently confident that with your backing, success will follow. To Patruinus. How fortunate you are, having completed your term of honors, to enjoy leisure! We live on the stormy sea of public life and are battered by the waves of fortune. Why I have said this, my lord and son Attalus will explain -- a man for whom the hope of seeing your wisdom made the labor of his journey welcome. To Patruinus. Two things equally pleasing have come to me at once: first your letter, which even if it could go on forever would never grow tiresome; and second, the long-awaited arrival of our brother Frumentius. Before I had tested his character personally, I judged him worthy of being counted among my blessings on the strength of your recommendation alone. But when closer acquaintance revealed the ornaments of his integrity, I realized he had been praised less than his merit demanded -- and this only because of his own modesty, lest he seem to be pressing a commendation he himself had arranged to be put into writing.

Dominum et filium meum Attalum de summatibus viris ad dominos et principes nostros amplissimus ordo legavit instructum variis de more mandatis. quae spectare 1 gemintui K, germani Af his] (II), boc VM{r) 2 aecnndiam /7 3 qnia] {11), qnod V, qnam M colligitis] VM{r), colUgimns (/7) 5 et] nt P arrississe rescriptnm (IT), //////// //rescriptum P, arrisere scriptum V, nestrnm arridere scriptnm M 6 nirum praeceUentissimum roraitem] ego, om. VM(IT)\ aecuruUu illae Uiterae adkac mpersunt 1111 8 7 permissa] ego, missa VM^H) iir////monitionibn8 P 13 om, VM 14 quae vocem sermone sequuntw, periemnt omnia in P 16 diligentia elns tuae] (77}, diligentiae iusticiae VF, diligentis instici^ tna M uale om, V 18 om. VM; epist, ad Patruinum acripta et»e videtur, eum Petronius eo tempore, qtw Aremtitu Medio- lanium proficiscebatur (p. 154, 31), in Hispania fuerit totius epistulae in P supersurU haee: 19 ... t psn 20 . . . niro quem . . . a famUia 21 . . . qna merito . . . ae conciliat anti 22 . . . nis etiam meae . . . mendationis acce . . . are non possim cn 23 ... estimonium et tnum indi 20 reserari] htretus, reser- nari FA/(/7) 22 debitare V 23 nale om, V 25 om. VM; simul cum sequenti emissa, quae ad Petronium scripta est; ergo ad Patruinum 26 do- minum et fllium menm] VAf (77), ////////////// /eum P uiris ad dominos] FAf(/7), //////////linos P spectant et causas et Af visa sunt bonum publicnm. huic si fautor accesseris, futurum reor, ut illi pro labore PVM fructus accommodet. quaeso igitur, vel legationis merito vel meo nomine in optimum Timm bene consulas, qui satis animi confirmatus est, suifragio tao successuram feli- citatem. CXmi a. 398. AD PATRVINVM. PVMF Beatum te, qui honorum emeritus otiaris; nos in patriae salo vivimus et fortunae fluctibus verberamur. quorsum ista protulerim, dominus et filius meus Attalus elo- quetur, cui spes visendae prudentiae tuae laborem peregrinationis fecit optabilem. 10 CXV. AD PATRVINVM. PVM Duo mihi pariter iucunda delata sunt: primo sermo tuus, qui etiamsi posset esse continuus, fastidium non moveret, dehinc fratris nostri Frumentii exoptatus adventus. quem ego in numerum bonorum esse referendum, priusquam morum ipsius periclum 15 facerem, ex praerogativa tui testimonii iudicavi; | sed ubi propiore congressu probi- PV tatis eius omamenta patuemnt, adverti minus eum, quam ratio postulavit, per vere- cundiam praedicatum, ne ipse laudationem suam mandatam litteris videretur ingerere. pro his ergo muneribus optatum tibi solvo responsum, quo me agere ex sententia et fmi commoda cum meis valetudine recognoscas. huic autem rei nihil adiciendum 20 puto, cum solo nostrae salutis indicio gratulatio fratema possit expleri. CXVI. AD PATRVmVM. Scis pro insita tibi humanitate, quid parvulis et parentum suffragio destitutis benignitatis ac misericordiae debeatur. merito mihi apud te utendum esse non arbi- 25 tror longo ambitu litterarum pro inlustris memoriae viri Severi filiis, qui nisi bono- mm iudicum iuventur auxilio, praedae atque iniuriae subiacebunt. quidquid igitur eomm poscit utilitas, favor tuus non gravetur inpendere, ut publico saltem defen- dantur adiutu, qui familiaribus adminiculis desemntur. 1 bonuDi] VAf(/7), lllllx P 6 om, VMF, ad Petronium scripta^ utpote qui eo tempore vieariatum Hi»paniarum depomerit 7 salo] 4/, solo PVF 8 neraeramar P 1 m, n om, VM 12 dno in nn. P 13 continuum V 14 mori V pericnlnm P 2 m, M quic P 1 m. Q. AvRELIVil 8tMMA€UVM. 27 2 1 0 S YMM ACHI EPIST VLAE cxvn.