Letter 5001: You do me a great kindness every time you honor our friendship with news of your well-being.

You confer a rich benefit upon us whenever you make our friendship a gift by giving notice of your good health. I therefore pray to the gods that they may prosper you in return for so great a devotion toward us. And I gladly expend equal diligence upon our literary exchange, so that you may be the more readily spurred to your offices, when you see that gratitude does not perish in the keeping of one who remembers what is written. [The following is editorial apparatus and the heading of subsequent letters, partly garbled in the source. The legible heading reads: Book IV of the ordered letters of Quintus Aurelius Symmachus, of clarissimus rank, the consul, begins; the book published after his death by his son Quintus Memmius Symmachus, happily.] [...] [Book IV.] To the Hierophant. Probatius lately presented to me what you had written, and from it much occasion for congratulation came to me, because I learned that all things abide for you according to your wish. That you should do this often, I ought not even to admonish you, since voluntary offices ought not to be incited by the goad of exhortation. To Theodorus. [Dated before the year 390.] The frequent corroboration of good men concerning your upright character has provoked in me this longing, that I impatiently desire your friendship. For those who are celebrated in the speech of all and are conspicuous for the praise of their probity invite even strangers to the love of close intimacy with them. Therefore, if you do not spurn these tokens of my goodwill, repay me, I beg, with conversation, so that I may be delighted by the confirmation of my own act, although I already hold the pledge of our mutual affection. [Dated to the year 398.]

Opulento me adficis bono, quotiens amicitiam nostram salutis tuae indicio mune- raris. deos igitur conprecor, ut te pro tanta in nos religione fortunent. vicissitudini autem litterariae parem diligentiam libenter inpendo, ut ad officia promptius inciteris, cum videas apud memorem scriptorum gratiam non perire. 16 q. aur. symmachi ti. c. c/// ordinari epistolaru lib. m/// incip. lib. •¥• editus post eius obitu a q fllio memmio symmacbo feUciter P, om, VM 17 epUiula deeH in M eadem epUHda ad HOariwn data 111, 40 ad efropbantem P, om, V 20 oratum V 22 cuiei V ' autem] uicissim tum enim V, uicissitudinis huius M UBER nn. V. 125 m. AD HIEROPHANTEM. ' PVF Scriptum mihi tniim Probatios nuper exhibuit, atque ex eo mihi plurimum gratu- lationis accessit, quod tibi pro voto omnia superesse eognovi. id ut saepe facias, & monere non debeo, cum spontanea officia stimulo exhortationis non oporteat incitari. AD THEODORVM. nU ante a. 390. Bonorum frequens adstipulatio de sanctis moribus tuis in hoc me desiderium pro- vocavit, ut amicitias tuas inpatienter exoptem. nam qui omnium sermone celebrantur 10 et probitatis laude conspicui sunt, incognitos quosque ad amorem propriae familiari- tatis invitant. ergo si haec voluntatis meae non aspemaris indicia. repende, quaeso, conloquium, ut et facti mei confirmatione delecter, quamvis mutuae adfectionis iam teneam sponsionem. V a. 398.