Letter 8042: The reports of your illness have reached me, and I write with the urgency that love demands.

Ennodius to Avienus. The report of your illness has come to add to my own. For such is ever the habit, and almost the very nature, of an anxious man, that he can scarcely believe that what he feared has passed, and he sighs over the things that our Redeemer in his heavenly kindness has set behind us, as though they were placed before his eyes. There remains in me, my lord Avienus, nothing now from the enjoyment of this light except, after the fear of God, your affection alone: when matters go better with me, I am still such a man as you left me in my despair. It remains for you, that by your prayers both the remission of sins may be granted to me and, if it so seems good to God, that in place of a cure a swift death may come, lest what I now suffer be more bitter than death itself. My lord, paying with all humility the greeting that is your due, I ask that through you I may learn what is reported from Rome concerning our case.

XXXXII. ENNODIVS AVIENO. Aegritudinis uestrae indicium in meae contigit incrementum. nam talis semper est usus et pene natura solliciti, ut uix XXXX. 2 boethio BLVb 3 adoasat B 5 implsre L a] ad T 7 inditio L, indictio B, iuditio P, iudicio b 9 oelestis B 10 agnosoendi T\' XXXXL 12 acapito L, agapio B 13 ferritur B 16 aesca LV conloqui B tUum B 16 pinget B 18 linqueris ris B scripti L moeasitudinem B 20 cama B prae- ditoa B 21 feoere L1 XXXXII. 24 Qgretudinis L\' mee 7x, mea BLPTVb contiget B, contingit b 25 est semper LTV pene] pe B credat transisse quod metuit et quae fecit redemptor noster caelesti benignitate praeterita, quasi sint in occulis locata, suspirat. sunt, domne Auiene, iam in me nihil de usura lucis istius nisi uestra tantum post timorem dei remansit affectio: quando melius mecum agitur, talis sum, qualem me in desperatione dimisistis. superest, ut precibus uestris et peccatorum remissio concedatur et si ita deo uidetur, pro uice remedii obitus celer eueniat, ne amarius sit morte quod nino. domine mi, salutationem debitam tota humilitate persoluens rogo, ut per uos, quid in causa nostra de Roma nuntiatur, agnoscam.