Letter 7004: The consular magnificence did full justice to the circus games.

The magnificence of the consul has fulfilled the solemn celebration of the games of the circus; the most splendid performances of the games and of the gladiatorial show are still impending, and once these have been completed before the Nones of February, as we suppose, we shall remove ourselves on the journey toward our own home. I write this for the purpose that the gladness of your affection may be nourished by a better hope. Farewell. [The remainder of the source consists of editorial apparatus and printed-page artifacts, not letter text: a critical apparatus recording manuscript variants ("macus" P; "6 simul"; "praeturae" omitted in P, first hand, B; "tuae" P; "longiora" - to be deferred, enclosed in brackets; "constancy of speech" F, "assid[...]" P; "also zeal" F, "q[...]" P; "lord and your brother" F, "my brother" P, "bro[...]us" P; "emul[...]" P), the running head "Q. Aurelius Symmachus," the page numbers "23" and "178," the series title "Symmachi Epistulae," and the dating note "Book V, in the year 399-402."]

25 Circensium sollemnitati consularis magnificentia satisfecit; ludomm adhuc et mu- neris splendidissimae imminent fnnctiones, quibns ante Febmarias nonas, ut opinamur, inpletis iter ad nostra relegemus. haec eo scribo, ut laetitia amabilitatis tuae spe meliore pascatur. vale. macus P 6 simnl — praeturae om, P 1 m, B|tuae P 9 longiora — differantur uncU ineluai siduitas sermonis F, adsld///////////// P 20 quoque studium] F, qi/////////// P dominus et F frater tuus] /7, frater meus P, fra/////u8 P 21 aemul/// P Q. AvRKLivs Stmmachvs. 23 178 SYMMACUl EPISTVLAE V a. 899—402.