Letter 9016: I certainly wish you such abundant wealth that you can buy the finest estates — but I would prefer that you do so...
Quintus Aurelius Symmachus→Unknown|c. 373 AD|Quintus Aurelius Symmachus
friendshipproperty economics
I certainly wish you such abundant wealth that you can buy the finest estates — but I would prefer that you do so without injury to your friends. I bought the Postumianus property from its long-standing owner by the best legal title, with no mention of any claim on your part. Now, for the first time at your prompting, I am asked to give up a nearly established possession, whose price I paid from my own resources.
I ask you to consider whether this is consistent with fairness or friendship. Rather than let it become a quarrel between friends, I suggest we appoint a mutually trusted arbiter and settle the matter amicably. Farewell.
Opto quidem te in tantum copiis pecuniae familiaris adfluere, ut possis opima
praedia conparare, sed mallem sine amicornm noxa atque iniuria oculum te ac desi-
derium novis emptionibus admovere. nam ego Postumianensem rem iure optimo sine
ulla mentione consortii tui ab antiquissimo possessore mercatus nunc primum tua ad-
monitione convenior, ut prope iam inveterata possessione decedam , cuius pretium non 30
quam putaui Lyp$iu$, plura deesse videntur amicicior IIF^ 7 utrique F^ 8 myosis F^
describeres] //, descripseris F^F^ 2 m., descripsis F^ 1 m, 9 ex arduo] Lypaiua^ exardeo F 10 ope-
ris montani F^ 11 decortae F^ decurte F potuerunt esse F^
13 h€Lee fragmenta om. (//), primus edidit luretus in Symmaehi editione secunda p. 304, hoc loeo eoUo^
cavit Scioppius Symmachus Varro (/*) 15 famem //^ 16 prouindas /*, prouinciis (//)^
17 frugis si (//)^, lacunam indicavi 18 posl facnltates spatium vacuum trium, versuum tn Fj O^cultas
itineris celeriter (/7)^, epittuku divisit Suse
LIBER VIllI. 245
eins mediocritatis est, ut emisse delectet. tdeo cnm possim tibi legibus obviare et n
desiderio eius, cuius res aguntur, obsistere, copiam tamen facio, ut quod argenti de-
dimus venditori, id bomini meo Euscio, cui summa conperta est, digneris expendere:
si tamen praeoptas nostra mercari quam tua nexu obligationis absolvere.
5 XXXI (XXVni).
AD CARTERIVM.
Quod deferendum socero erat, cuius te momordit querella, conpetenter in Epicte-
tum conmotus inplesti. caret foro et inconsultae linguae pretium tulit, ac si quid
mihi credis, contumeliae talione correctus est. nunc ingenium tuum moresque con-
10 siderans flecte ad veniam placabilem voluntatem. scis causidicorum saepe inprovidos 2
lapsns, et cum omares tribunalia ante defensor, post cognitor iurgiorum tales advo-
cationis errores plerumque repmsisti. sed quia nunc aliqui, quorum tuta flagitia sunt,
Epicteti amici mei silentio claruerunt, quaeso, ne diu infortunato potius quam nocenti
patiaris inludi. faciet vir amplissimus communis frater, quidqnid te velle cognoverit; 3
15 erit etiam ille promptus ad restituendum ei munus orandi, si voluntatis tuae sumat
indicium. tu modo benignam mentem litteris meis adplica, et qui togae amicus es,
cuius laude supra alios splenduisti, et honesto ordini notam detrahe et homini parum
cauto rogatus ignosce.
xxxn (xxviiii).
◆
I certainly wish you such abundant wealth that you can buy the finest estates — but I would prefer that you do so without injury to your friends. I bought the Postumianus property from its long-standing owner by the best legal title, with no mention of any claim on your part. Now, for the first time at your prompting, I am asked to give up a nearly established possession, whose price I paid from my own resources.
I ask you to consider whether this is consistent with fairness or friendship. Rather than let it become a quarrel between friends, I suggest we appoint a mutually trusted arbiter and settle the matter amicably. Farewell.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.