Letter 9002: Your Eminence's conscience is well aware of what we owe to the distinguished Faustinus — both on account of his...

Ennodius to Faustus. It stands fixed in the conscience of your Eminence what we owe to the prayer and to the family of the distinguished man Faustinus; and therefore, although in your eyes he believes it to be sufficient that a father has made request on behalf of his son, nevertheless through me, because his anxiety reckons too little whatever it has already done, he plies you repeatedly with entreaties, hoping that under God's guidance your young man may be raised up to mature character: may you give the precepts as to what he ought to follow and what to avoid, and may you, among those with whom you have judged it necessary, follow up the matter in writing. But your Eminence would do these things even if I were to keep silent; yet I have neither been able nor ought to fail the entreaties of so great a man. Moved therefore by the tears mentioned above, I too, weeping, make supplication through that conscience which has been granted to us by God (so may the holy affirmation of the martyrs commend your petitions to our Savior), that both the Creator may effectually plead before you on behalf of the son, and the lord Faustinus on behalf of Ambrosius: ordain the aforesaid youth, and pray on his behalf, that Rome may be able to extinguish the young man neither by vices nor by maladies. I know that you prevail in many things among men, but in greater things before God, and therefore, now untroubled, I promise the result to those whom I commend. Therefore, paying out the reverence of a greeting, I have woven many things into few. It is enough that the devotion of a man pleasing to God has been informed: and may both the cause and the person be arranged, with God's solace, by your zeal.

II. FAVSTO ENNODIVS. stat apud conscientiam culminis uestri quid sublimis uiri Faustini uoto debeamus et generi: et ideo quamuis apud uos credat sufficere quod pro filio pater rogauit, per me tamen quia parum putat eius sollicitudo quod egerit, preces frequentat, sperans ut uestra adulescens ad maturos deo auspice mores erigatur: uos detis praecepta, quid sequi debeat, quid cauere, uos apud quos necessarium credideritis scriptione prosequamini. haec sed culmen uestrum, etiam si taceam, esse facturum: sed nec potui tanti uiri precibus deesse nec debui. qua de re permotus lacrimis superius conprehensi et ego flens subplico per illam quae nobis a deo concessa est conscientiam (sic petitiones uestras pia martyrum saluatori nostro commendet adsertio), ut efficaciter apud uos et creator pro filio et domnus Faustinus pro Ambrosio supplicet: et ordinate praedictum iuuenem et orate pro ipso, ut adulescentem Roma nec uitiis possit nec morbis extinguers. scio uos plura apud homines, sed maiora apud deum praeualere, et ideo securus iam effectum illis polliceor quos commendo. ergo reuerentiam salutationis exsoluens paucis multa contexui. sufficit deo placentis uiri 1 connenientibos L curis deesBe scripri, coris donesse B, donaase curis LPTVb 2 infelicem Pb itscitia fort. scribendum et qui praecedit (= praelatum) ad honorem refcrendum est 8 rescribe (seri sup . ras. 2 Utt.) L 4 flagitis B II. 8 ueri B 9 debeamns BT, debeam LPVb deo. L 12 uestra] noster Pb, nester Schottus aduliscens B 15 hoc Pb 16 uc debni—nec potai LPTVb 18 conscientia B 19 et petitiones T piam B commend it B 22 iuniem B aduliscente| B romam L 28 morbis B, moribus LPTVb 26 sufficet B placentes BL2T1V instructam esse pietatem: et causa et persona cum dei solacio uestro disponatur studio.