Letter 31
To Aurelian.
If cities have souls — and they must, with their divine guardians and spirits — then you can be sure those spirits are grateful to you and remember the good you did for all nations during your great administration [as Praetorian Prefect]. Believe me, those powers stand beside you always, as advocates and allies, begging the universal God to grant you a fitting reward for imitating Him to the best of your ability.
Doing good is the one trait that God and human beings share. Imitation creates a kinship between the imitator and the imitated. So consider that by your commitment to righteousness, you have established an intimacy with God himself.
Hold on to that thought. Cherish the hopes that belong to a spirit like yours — you whom I honor above all other men. Yours is a rank held by you alone, or shared with very few. Give my warmest regards to your son Taurus, the hope of the Empire. It gives me great pleasure to send them through a father as revered as yourself.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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