Letter 1056: For my part, I'm secure enough in our friendship to take it in stride if someone who loves me slips up.

For my part, secure in your friendship, I make light of it if anything is done amiss against me by one who loves me; but neglect of attentiveness ill becomes your character, in which nothing is lacking for its praise. You suppose that I am complaining because you write nothing, and you prepare to refute the falsehood, since you remember that you have written something. I, however, would be vexed in spirit very little if you were silent, compared to this: that you have delivered to me and to my father a single letter, and that one exceedingly brief. Do we two thus seem to you unworthy of separate pages? It concerned your own honor, you will say, that you should be joined with my parent. There are other things which I wish us to share with him either in common or equally; let love be paid to me in my own name. Refrain, then, from letters that are like an edict; let all disdain be done away with, from which is born a regard for brevity. But it is prudent not to speak at length about these matters, lest the prolixity of our complaint be more burdensome to you than the brevity of your letter has been to me. As for what remains, I beg the gods that you may revisit us, full of joy, as soon as possible. It will be easy to make up for the meagerness of your writings by abundant talk. Farewell.