Letter 5017: Your Greatness does well when you honor both your birth and your character equally.

Ennodius to Avienus. Well does your greatness, while it renders obedience to its lineage and to good character, join correction to error without any interval, and what it wisely understands to be a fault it averts before it is pointed out by another. Who would believe that one so swift in setting things right had ever gone astray? He is almost not to be called a follower of excesses who lays a restraining hand upon the stealthy approach of faults. These things, my lord, I answer, with your kindness as my guide, to those matters which you have deigned to write. For the rest, the weight of my own affairs has rendered me humbler in my purpose: I have scarcely, amid my wretchedness, remained fit to renew our conversations. My lord, presenting the dutiful offerings of my greeting, I ask God, who restores to your eminence its fruit on account of this very consideration whereby you do not despise the humble, to grant it.

XVII. AVIENO ENNODIVS. Bene magnitudo uestra, dum origini et moribus praestat obsequium, emendationem sine interuallo coniungit errori et quod peccatum sapienter intellegit, priusquam altero denuntietur, auertit. quis credat deliquisse in correctione uelocissimum? pene non uocandus est sectator excessuum qui obuiam manum ponit in subreptione culparum. haec, mi domine, ad ea, quae es dignatus scribere, gratia uestra duce respondeo. ceterum humiliorem me proposito actuum meorum pondera reddiderunt: uix miseria remansi idoneus reformare conloquia. domine mi, salutationis obsequia praesentans deum rogo, qui culminibus uestris fructum pro hac qua humilem non spernitis consideratione restituat. 1 tu om. B, recte fort., nam alter uel PamfroniuB intercidisse uidetur 2 de om. P\'b dei om. B 3 concede Lx sponditur B 4 prestitum B mihi BLV 5 tribues B dominum PTb 7 comulo B decerpsisti] finit add. B XYIL 9 ennodius auieno LV 10 uestra] tua P2T 12 defitietur LT 13 auertet B, aduertit T delinquisse B 14 ezcess∗u ̃ L 16 que B dignatus ea Pb 17 caeterum LV I me] te Pb act.ū L 18 misera T 19 m V, mi∗∗ L, mihi B salutationes Lx 21 restituatj legi add. BLPTYb, initium ut uidetur subscriptionis formulae cutus uestigium B etiam in fine Dictionis XXI fol . 179? exhtbet ENNODITS EMENDAVI MEAM DEO MEO IVTASTE