Letter 2032: The man who ought to have delivered your letter to me will instead deliver mine to you — for you and I do not share...

The man who owed it to me to deliver your letter will deliver mine to you; for the same excuse of silence is not available to us as is available to you. You are surrounded by the manifold cares of public affairs; I, on holiday from all business, wear away a dreary leisure, and what I used to do before for the sake of honoring you, I now take up as a solace to myself. For the mind is relieved of its distress whenever it is directed toward the kindly offices of friendship. That I am not, in truth, speaking to win favor for myself, my retirement is witness. For when, wounded with grief, I was tossed in turmoil, I betook myself to the abode of my lady [the goddess], our common parent, as if to some shrine of a saving god. Now, by her counsel, my wound has closed into a scar. In her admonitions I find rest; by her aid I breathe again. There are present, too, your other venerable kinswomen, and what gladdens me above all else, our conversation each day rehearses a charming remembrance of you. For this reason the greater part of the summer will be passed by me within the bounds of Campania, since both the present circumstances please me, and such is the condition of our fatherland that we who can be shut out by wicked men ought meanwhile to absent ourselves as it were of our own choice. Farewell. [Letter 33, of the years 382-383. The transmitted text of this letter is interwoven in its source with the critical apparatus of variant manuscript readings (sigla P, V, F, M), which has been excluded from the translation above; the legible letter content has been rendered in full.]

Reddet tibi litteras meas, qui tuas mihi debuit exfaibere ; neque enim nobis eadem silentii excusatio, quae tibi suppetit. te multiplex actunm publicornm cura circnm- 25 sonat; ego ab negotiis omnibus feriatus triste otinm tero, et quod tni honoris gratia ante faciebam, nunc meo adsumo solacio. levatur quippe aegritudine animus, qnotiens in officia amica dirigitur. me ex vero non ad gratiam meam loqui, secessio mea 2 testis est. nam cum dolore saucius aestuarem, sedem dominae meae commnnis pa- rentis qnasi fanum aliquod dei salutaris accessi. nnnc ex eins consilio in cicatricem 30 vnlnus meum convenit. illius adquiesco monitis, ex illius ope respiro. adsnnt etiam ceterae venerabiles necessitudines tuae , et qnod me prae ceteris invat, tui cot- tidie blandam commemorationem sermo noster exercet. qua de re intra Campaniae terminos maior mihi pars ae^tatis agitabitnr, quando et praesentia placent, et ea con- tur Af 2 praefecta Vy profecto P 2 m. orbis P 3 auditoris P 4 nunc rescribere- tur om. VM fortassc: nunc rescribetar in caasam post uictoriam meam contra sententiam praefecturae, cui pars aduersa consentit, quasi relatio ad fortunam iiegotii pertineret et q. 8. 5 et om. VFM sup- plimenta P 1 m. 6 refatatorios] luretu$y reputatorios PVM 10 plures P 1 m. V 11 cuius VM hereditariam M, hereditariam V possessione] r0My posBessionem P, posaessionem ///// V dece- dam] PVM0, decedant F 13 uale add. VM sub] stili (?) P 1 m. 20 scis esse] scisse P 1 m. 21 uale add. VM uulnus meum in cicatricem F 31 ope] P 2m. P, opere P I m. VDP 32 co^tldie P 34 aesta- tis] cod. Pithoei, aeUtis PVF agiUbatur [F) et om. F placent] Suae, placet PVF LIBER 11. 53 dicio est patriae, ut qui excludi per inprobos possumus, abesse interim vclut ex nostro PVF arbitrio debeamus. vale. XXXm a. 382—383.