Letter 5004: The fulfillment I have long sought in my desires has come at last.

Ennodius to Helisea. The fulfillment long sought by my desires has come to pass: that a kindly disposition be granted through benefits, and that things are bestowed when expectation has been drawn out over a long time. Nearness lives on in whatever part of the world one may be: the chain of blood is not broken by the separation of bodies; through the distances of regions affection suffers no loss, since among those who are separated by their dwelling-place love is held in place of presence. I render thanks to almighty God, because He has made you mindful of devotion and brought you to recall your lineage under a religious occasion. With God as my witness, after the lady Cynegia set forth to me the merit of your way of life, I sought a sight of you with a special ardor, if the wished-for occasion had granted abundance to my prayers. My lady, declaring the reverence of my greeting, I pledge the service of my devotion in the matter assigned in your letter, because just as much is rendered to the soul as is shown to holy pursuits. Truly I say that I have never loved the man whom you abhor, and I have feared lest your assent too should be inclined toward the advancement of that dreadful man. May God be present, that he may not come to ecclesiastical dignity, formed on no anvil of good training.

IIII. ENNODIVS HELISEAE. Diu quaesitus desideriis meis euenit effectus: ut detur genius beneficiis, transmissa in longum expectatione tribuuntur. uiuit in quacumque terrarum parte proximitas: sequestratione corporum sanguinis catena non rumpitur: per discreta regionum caritas damna non sentit, quando inter eos qui habitatione separantur praesentiae uice tenetur affectio. deo omnipotenti gratias refero, quia uos memores fecit esse pietatis et prosapiae sub religiosa occasione reminisci. teste deo postquam mihi domna Cynegia meritum uestrae conuersationis exposuit, uisionem uestram speciali ardore requisiui, si uotis copiam optata dedisset occasio. domina, salutationis reuerentiam dicens in designato litteris uestris negotio ministerium deuotionis spondeo, quia tantum praestatur animae, quantum sanetis exhibetur studiis. uere dico me numquam dilexisse quem detestamini et ueritum, ne ad diri hominis profectum uester quoque inclinaretur adsensus. adsit deus, ne ad ecclesiasticam dignitatem ueniat nulla bonae institutionis incude formatus.