Letter 4018: To a friend: Even when I was staying in Milan, I observed the courtesy of greeting you, and now that I have...

And while I was residing at Milan, I performed the courtesy of greeting you, and now, having retraced my journey, I have not denied diligent attention to the duty of correspondence. You expect, I believe, that I should repay the favor of writing. That truly is pledged to me not by any demand of my own but by your affection. [Here the manuscript is interrupted by editorial apparatus recording textual variants among the codices (P, V, M, F and others) for the words mandavit, oranda, publice, facti, favorem, and others; these are not part of the letter text.] Let them require the recompense of the pen, which do not deserve that of the heart. To Florentinus. [A.D. 395.] For a long time you put off the announcement I had requested concerning the arrival of my brother, in order, I believe, that he might forestall us with the honor of his greeting. I recognize your scrupulous stratagems, and yet I do not yield, but of my own accord I, a single man, summon two of you to a contest of friendly letters. "Leisure," you will say, "affords you this confidence in performing such offices." What of the fact that the honor of the quaestorship and the practice of drafting decrees have refined you all the more? But with him [your brother] I share the common condition of private life. And would that the watchful care of our good emperor might claim his service for itself as well! That must be borne! May you both please by your devotion, if you both fail me in letters. [A.D. 395.] To Florentinus. I find by experience that you do everything for the welfare of Flavianus, a most distinguished man, the pledge dear to me [i.e. my kinsman], in his affairs. From this springs my hope, and my spirit rises up, that his remaining troubles too can be healed with you as physician. For having obtained, by the clemency of the divine emperor, those things which are great, he is still throttled by one knot, so to speak, of misfortune: that a man of slender means, and now grievously drained by the ruin of his patrimony, is ordered to pay out the assessment of his father's salary. Therefore through you and men like you he asks that the impending ruin be removed. Nor is the matter difficult to obtain by request. For what the imperial humanity has remitted to very many who labor under their own ill-favor, that, when requested in a father's name, a much fairer indulgence will relax. This concession will profit even the glory of the times, if a pious successor adds what was lacking to the emperor's benefactions. [A.D. 395.] To Florentinus. I cannot embrace in words how many joys one single day has brought me at once. You recognize, I believe, the cause, of which you were the author. For a third honor, that of your own writings, capped the twin letters of our common brothers. And so, as the choice among good things is difficult, I hesitated a little while as to which page I should peruse first; so great was my longing for each of them. Presently I ran through them all in a quick passage of reading, that I might not delay the inspection of those remaining by lingering. Nor did it suffice to have read them once, so that, if my first eagerness had skimmed over anything, repetition might press it home. There was in the words of each one a varied charm of expression, in which alone the letters differed; for one and the same mind had dictated them all. I could in good faith add greater things, but your ears, although they rejoice in the praises of your brothers, nevertheless out of modesty do not bear a share in glorious testimony. It remains that I make a brief reply to you, who request my return under a certain invitation of the senate. By the Ides of November, if only the outcome favors our intentions, we are preparing to hasten back into your sight. If the day promised seems late, I do not wish the embassy of the senate to be delayed on my account, since it was long ago entrusted to illustrious men and, furnished with its instructions, requires no addition of persons or of petitions. It is fitting therefore to abide by the arrangements, nor is it lawful that things confirmed should, after the example of the recent dissension, be overturned through new negotiations. These things you yourself also saw before me, as you write; all the more must we cling to the decisions, which your authority commends to me, and our assent to you. [A.D. 380-382.] To Florentinus. You have come to that grade of military service by your labor, so that you ought to assist the fortune of my friend Benedictus, whom, though liable to no charge, the injustice of fortune drove from his post and deprived of his office. To earn your favor for him, not only his own honesty but also my recommendation ought to open the way. For I believe that my letters are of such weight with you that it would be right to hope for success even if I were to ask difficult things. This I thought ought to be mentioned for this reason, that you may understand both what we feel concerning your character and friendship, and how much justice ought either to benefit or to assist this man. [A.D. 397.]

Et cum Mediolani degerem, cultum circa te salutationis exercui, et nnnc remenso itinere sedulam operam litterario muneri non negavi. expectas credo , ut gratiam mandaait habent oranda PVr0, m&nd&uit n^cessitas hornm Af, suppU: in cur&m taam recipe, quae habent oranda vel timUe quid 7 exerendae V 8 pablice] Lectius, pablica PVM wppU: nititor vel shniU quid 25 facti facti V 28 fauorem clarissimi uiri] Clasony fauorem cum P. fauorem cn K0, fauorem nostram Af, fauorem F LiBER nn. 115 repetam scriptioniB. illam plane mihi non mea efflagitatio sed tua adfectio poUicetar. PVF exigant stili vicem, qui animi non merentar. AD FLORENTINVM. PVMF L a. 395. h Diu super adventu fratris postulatum a me indicium distulisti, credo, ut nos salu- tationis honorificentia praeveniret. agnosco religiosa conludia nec tamen cedo, et ultro in certamen scriptorum familiarium solus duos evoco. otium tibi, inquies, hanc offi- ciorum fiduciam praestat. quid quod te magis quaesturae honor et condendarum sanctionum usus excoluit? cum illo autem mihi privatae vitae condicio communis est. 10 atque utinam boni principis circumspectio ipsius quoque operam sibi vindicet! feren- dam! ambo devotione placeatis, si circa me litteris ambo cessetis. LI a. 395. AD FLORENTINVM. PVF Omnia te facere ad salutem Flaviani viri omatissimi pignoris mei rebus ex-^ 15 perior. hinc mihi spes oritur atque animus adsurgit, posse cetera eius incommoda te medico sanari. adeptus enim divi principis lenitate, quae magna sunt, uno adhuc, ut ila dixerim, nodo infortunii strangulatur, quod homo tenuis et nunc labe patrimonii graviter exhaustus patemi salarii aestimationem iubetur exsolvere. ergo per te ac tui 2 similes amoliri postulat inminentem minam. nec res inpetratione difficilis est. nam 20 quod plerisque sua invidia laborantibus imperialis remisit humanitas, id patris nomine postulatum multo aequior venia relaxabit. proficiet ista concessio etiam temporam gloriae, si quod beneficiis principis deerat, pius successor adiecerit. Ln a. 395. AD FLORENTINVM. PVM 26 Verbis nequeo conplecti, quot gaudia mihi pariter dies unus invexerit. agnoscis credo causam, cuius auctor fuisti. nam geminas fratmm communium litteras in cumu- lum extulit tertius honor scriptomm tuomm. itaque ut rerum bonarum difficilis electio est, paulisper haesi, qtiam primam paginam recenserem; tantum apud me erat desi- derium singulamm. mox omnes arguto legendi transitu percucurri, ne inspectionem 2 30 residends morarer. nec semel legisse suffecit, ut si quid aviditas prima perstrinxerat, inculcaret iteratio. erat in verbis uniuscuiusque varius elocutionum lepos, quo solo dam VMF, ferenda P 2 m, 11 oertetis MF e infortunii modo F 18 ex^oluere P 19 postulat] KF, portabat P 1 m,, portebat P 2 m, 21 re- laxauit PVF 22 si om. P 1 m, quid VF tas Pi m. praestrinxerat KUssUng 31 quof P 15* 116 SYMBIACHI EPISTVLAE PF3f litterae discrepabant ; nam omnes mens una dictaverat. possem bona fide adicere maiora, sed tuae aures, licet fratrum laudibus gaudeant, communionem tamen gloriosi 3 testimonii per verecundiam non ferunt. restat^ ut tibi reditum meum sub quadam curiae invitatione poscenti pauca respondeam. ad idus Novembres, modo eventus adiuvet destinata^ recurrere m conspectum vestrum paramus. si promissi dies serus 5 videtur, legationem senatus per me nolo differri^ quae dudum viris inlustribus credita 4 et instructa mandatis neque personarum neque petitionum requirit adiectionem. decet igitur stare dispositis, nec fas est exemplo proximae dissensionis per novos tractatus confirmata subverti. baec ante me, ut scribis, etiam ipse vidisti; quo magis placitis inhaerendum est, quae mihi commendat auctoritas tua, tibi noster adsensus. 10 Lin a. 380—382. AD FLORENTINVM. In eum militiae gradum labore venisti, ut Benedicti amici mei fortunam debeas adiuvare, quem nulli obnoxium crimini fortunae iniquitas loco depulit et honore priva- vit. huic ad promerendum favorem tuum non solum ipsius probitas sed etiam com- 15 mendatio mea aditum debet aperire. credo enim tanti apud te litteras meas esse momenti, ut effectum sperare fas fuerit, etiamsi ardua postularem. quod ideo comme- morandum putavi, ut intellegas, vel quid de animo tuo atque amicitia sentiamus, vel quantum prodesse huic debeat vel adesse iustitia. Llin a. 397. 20