Letter 6016: Conversations between friends should not always be driven by business.

Ennodius to Luminosus. Conversations that love devises as a remedy for itself ought not to be burdensome, nor should the obligation owed to religious duty be obliged to summon us to dealings of necessity, since it would be sweet for the services of letters to be enlisted in the cause of concord alone, and not to divert a matter of careful attention into the snares of gain! But the situation has now come to this: that unless our long-standing affection, which took its beginning between us from the very threshold of life and has carried the harvest of goodwill through varied strengths of progress to the threshing-floor, rises up on behalf of my interests, driven by the goad of writing, I shall be struck down by a great barrenness of ingratitude and of losses. Your Eminence remembers what discussion you had with us concerning the expenses which my bishop had incurred at Ravenna, when I promised him repayment, for the benefit of the apostolic see: regarding the restitution of which you had promised a swift result. But, for my sins, I do not know what mishap set its hand against it. Concerning this matter the intent of the aforesaid prelate turned itself upon me, so that he scarcely granted me a respite for dispatching anyone to the most sacred city. Now, after God, the cause rests in you, who are able to rescue both my person from the bishop's displeasure and my person from the losses, lest the duty of faithfulness should seem to have produced adversity for me alone. My lord, rendering the offerings of greeting, I pray to God that He may without delay summon your mind to a consideration of my advantage. I could not find anything further to do, except that, with a plain statement of the case, I should send to you a trustworthy bearer.

XVI. ENNODIVS LVMINOSO. Non deberent esse negotiosa conloquia, quae pro remedio sibi amor inuenit, nec religionis stipendium ad necessaria nos oporteret euocare commercia, quia dulce esset epistularum munia soli militare concordiae nec rem diligentiae in aucupia transferre conpendii! sed res ad hoc rediit, ut nisi senior caritas, quae inter nos ab ipso uitae limine sumpsit exordium et per uarias profectuum uires messem gratiae perduxit ad aream, conpulsa pro meis partibus stimulo scriptionis adsurgat, grandi ingratitudinis et detrimentorum sterilitate percutiar. meminit amplitudo uestra quae. de expensis, quae apud Rauennam episcopus meus fecerat, me ei redhibitionem promittente, pro sedis apostolicae utilitate, uobiscum fuerit conlocutus: de qua restituenda celerem promiseratis effectum. sed pro peccatis meis nescio qui casus manus opposuit. de qua ad me praedicti antistitis se conuertit intentio, ut uix indutias ad sacratissimam urbem tribuerit destinandi. nunc post deum in uobis causa est, qui potestis et personam meam offensione pontificis et detrimentis eripere, ne officium fidei mihi uni peperisse uideatur aduersa. domine mi, salutationis munera persoluens deum precor, ut animum uestrum ad utilitatis meae considerationem incunctanter inuitet. ego quid amplius facerem inuenire non potui, nisi ut cum allegatione manifesta fidum mihi dirigerem perlatorem. XVI. 3 quę B 8. I . 5 , quia]! quam fort . 8 lumine V1 et Sirm . 9 profecUum L uices fort . 12 meminet B expensis qua\' T episcopos B 13 redibitionem BTlV, retributionem L 14 apoatulice B coillocutua T 15 peccatis meis V in ras . 16 opposuit manus LTV 17 antestitis B inducias (c ex t corr.) B 18 tribueret L destinandua Bb 19 offensioni L . pontifieis] mei add. LTV 20 uideatui peperisse LTV: 21 mihi BL V dominum b et Sirat. 23 quidS Bl ut uidetur 24 fidem B b