Letter 3003: Your letter, when it arrived, was like a draught of water in dry weather — not because what you said was...

III. To my holy lord, most blessed and to be venerated by me with all reverence and honor, my father and patron in the Lord Christ, Bishop Ruricius, from Taurentius. The letter of your holiness, having fed me with spiritual nourishment, has stirred me toward the hope of things to come, and your prophetic words have shone forth with purest light, radiant in their brightness, to scatter the shadows of error. I recognize a love full of affection, and I embrace the sincerity of your devout correction. I have approved [in you] eloquence in words, perfection in examples, graciousness in counsel, diligence in service, constancy in truth, truthfulness in admonition, and knowledge in doctrine. You have recalled to me venerable names, the ancient interpreters of the Scriptures and expounders of the divine volumes: Cyprian, Augustine, Hilary, Ambrose; others flourishing with the flower of eloquence, others spiritual in revealing more hidden things, others coaxing the understandings of the unlearned with gentle persuasion, others doing battle in the assertion of the faith. We reproach the bygone age, because these present times have not produced those men so utterly worthy of admiration. To be sure, those younger had sought out the teaching of those who taught before. But I do not reckon my own age from the whiteness of graying hair, nor, as your blessedness has borrowed from a secular author, from the color of a whitening beard, since, even if there were error in the calculation, I would feel the years of one growing old by the sluggishness of my limbs through the increase of disease. Yet with all humility of prayer I beg that you make supplication in your holy prayers for the correction of my conduct, for the inspiring in me of a desire to repent, for the favor of our Lord toward me; so that you, who point out the way that must be entered upon and walked with labor in order to avoid the steep descent of that road inclining toward ruin, may also obtain the effect both of an entry into good work and of a devout amendment, not by the lash of discipline, but by the medicine of indulgence and the gentleness of mercy. Confer upon yourselves this reward as well: for you owe interest to the Lord from the treasury that has been handed over to your faith and, at his commendation, has been received by you. Win over those who despair, reprove the negligent, rouse those given over to the sleep of slothful complacency, awaken the idle. It befits the good shepherd to carry back the lost sheep upon his own shoulders, and to enclose within more secure folds those sheep upon which the wolf lies in wait. I have found the holy Augustine, as you had ordered, which I believed to be with our common son, the presbyter Rusticus. It is worth your while to admire my diligence, in that, what little works it contained, I did not know until now; indeed, being about to hand over the book, I have already inspected it chapter by chapter. It is a paper book and little strong for bearing injury, because paper, as you know, is more quickly consumed by age. Read it, if you so bid, and transcribe it. And I hope that, after it has become well known to you, it may be sent back to me, to whom it is unknown, since I intend to correct my own negligence by a repeated reading of that very parchment. Pray for me.

III. DOMINO SANCTO AC BEATISSIMO ET OMNI MIHI CULTU ATQVE HONORE UENERANDO PATRI ET IN CHRISTO DOMINO PATRONO RURICIO EPISCOPO TAURENTIUS. Litterae sanctitatis uestrae me spiritali cibo pastum incitauerunt ad spem futurorum et uerba prophetica claritate 1 benigni v, benigno S inrigastis cf. Rur. ep. II9, ingastis S, intrastis v 2 preciosa S presentiam S 3 possedeam S 7 incrementum v, incremantium S quod S quo-lira. 14 unde] cf. Rur. ep. II9 et 52 8 que S recollatione v 9 dulciscit S 12 quantumcumque v presumere S 13 que S 15 et] ut coni. Momvisenus 16 infelices S, infelicem t, absolutione v, ablutione S 17 redempte S 20 uestre S 21 reuertendam S 22 anni S 28 Turentius n 29 encitauernnt S radiantia ad discutiendas errorum tenebras purissima luce fulserunt. recognosco plenum caritatis affectum et sinceritatem piae castigationis amplector. eloquentiam in uerbis, in exeplis perfectionem, in consilio gratiam, in officio diligentiam, in ueritate constantiam, in admonitione ueritatem, scientiam probatis in dogmate. uos antiquos scripturarum interpretes et diuinorum uoluminum tractatores ueneranda mihi nomina Cyprianum, Augustinum, Hilarium, Ambrosium rettulistis, alios facundiae flore uernantes, alios et in reuelandis occultioribus spiritales, alios mulcendis inperitorum sensibus blandientes, alios in fidei assertione pugnantes. Praeteritae calumniamur aetati, quod uiros illos admiratione dignissimos haec saecula non tulerunt. pro certo doctrinam iuniores ambierant (eorum), qui ante docuerunt. ego autem aetatem meam non de canentium putamine capillorum nec, sicut beatitudo uestra de saeculari auctore mutuata est, de colore barbae albentis agnosco, cum, etiamsi esset error in conputo, senescentis annos de torpore membrorum per morbi incrementa sentirem. sed omni precum humilitate deposco, utpro correctione morum meorum, pro inspirando mihi desiderio paenitendi, pro domini nostri propitiatione in sanctis uestris orationibus supplicetis, ut, qui ad uitandum procliue illius uiae in perniciosa uergentis erectum et cum labore gradiendum iter ostenditis, et ingressum boni operis et piae emendationis obtineatis effectum non in uerbere disciplinae, sed in indulgentiae medicina et misericordiae lenitate. hanc quoque uobis conferte mercedem: debetis enim fenus domino de thesauro, qui 2 recognusoo S 4 offitio S indulgentiam v 5 admunitione S ueritatem] et add. v 6 probatis expungi uult Mommsenus interpretis S Q 7 tractares S 8 agustinum S hylarium S ratuj.Iistis S, sed et illustres v 9 facundie S 11 fide S 12 praeteritae v, preteritate S 14 iuniores scripsi, iunioris S ambirent v eorum addidi, om. S 15 eam v potamine S 16 seculari S 17 barbe S etiamsi] non add. v essem t. error om. t\' 18 num senescentes scribendum ? de torpore Kr., decorpore S, decrepitos r 19 omni scripsi, omnium S 22 supplicitis S 23 uergentes S rectum r 25 ueruere S, feruore t. 27 fgnus S fidei uestrae traditus et a uobis illo commendante susceptus est. adquirite desperantes, arguite neglegentes, deditos somno ignauae securitatis excutite, resides excitate. decet ouem perditam in umeris suis bonum reportare pastorem et munitioribus caulis eas, quibus lupus insidiatur, includere. Sanctum Augustinum, sicut iusseratis, inueni, quem cum filio communi Rustico presbytero esse credebam. operae pretium est, ut admiremini studium meum, quod, quae opuscula contineret, hucusque (qui) nesciui, sane capitulatim iam librum traditurus inspexi. chartaceus liber est et ad ferendum iniuriam parum fortis, quia citius charta, sicut nostis, uetustate consumitur. legite, si iubetis, atque transcribite. et spero, ut, postquam uobis bene cognitus fuerit, ad me, cui est incognitus, remittatur, quia corrigere neglegentiam meam frequentata membranae ipsius lectione dispono. ora pro me.