Epistulae (10 books)
Lest my interruption of correspondence be counted against me as a fault, I prefer to be prompt in my duty rather...
This is a letter where the social gap between us actually shapes what we write.
I'm deeply grateful to learn that you don't find my letters tasteless, and I consider it a real gift that my...
...and so I've returned to the Bay of Baiae, since Baiae was quiet by then.
You certainly imitate the style of Menippean Varro, but you surpass his talent.
It's no use accusing me of silence — I've been scrupulous about keeping up my correspondence, and there's hardly...
People who hope to receive a gift are usually the impatient ones.
I'm in good spirits now that you've remembered your promise and set out.
For some time now the silent Lucrine waters have been longing for you, and the smooth bay of Baiae, and Puteoli...
We were worried the rain would hold you up.
Is this really my luck — that everywhere I turn, there's something that needs rebuilding?
...so that we may hear good news of your health and your affairs, and pass this short time we plan to spend in...
Your daughter's birthday was approaching, and the gifts you'd sent arrived at just the right moment.
Good fortune usually makes a man talkative, eager to burst the bounds of a quiet heart.
You ask me for longer letters.
So where am I supposed to find an abundant supply of words when you've lent me nothing in the way of literary capital?
I'd nearly resigned myself to writing you a brief, empty letter — there was nothing worth reporting, and when...
[Only a fragment survives:] I am often urged by your warm correspondence to write about the literary studies we've...
As soon as your letters arrived, I replied with equal devotion — neither the protocol of correspondence nor the...
Sicily's provincial assembly has sent Ambrosius, one of the leading men of the provincial bar, to our lords and...
Even if I could honor you with letters every single day, I still wouldn't feel I'd done my duty as the situation...
People who lack confidence in themselves seek letters of recommendation from me.
Our ancestors did well and wisely — as was their way in so many things — when they built the temples of Honor and...
...long days on the road, rough lodgings, the creeping cold, the shrinking daylight, and all the other hazards of...
I'm delighted to mean more to you than most people, since you're the kind of man who looks out for my interests...
I'm overflowing with joy that the new year will see you as consul.
After your long silence, I was hoping — no, expecting — a letter of generous length.
If you have a taste for natural history — the kind Pliny labored over — here are some volumes I happened to have on...
A father's praise of his children is usually honest, and yet somehow it loses force — people suspect it's motivated...
I'm taking advantage of the openness you've offered me.
You ask what I'm up to.
It's just like you — given our mutual devotion and the long history of our friendship — to insist that your own...
I have no time for the common run of philosophers who fake wisdom with pretentious clothing and a haughty air.
Here's Rusticus, barely freed from his business in Rome.
Your letter reached me at Capua and gave me pure delight.
SYMMACHUS TO AUSONIUS:
They say snails, when they're thirsty and no dew falls from the sky, survive on their own moisture.
I'm doing exhausting work: I keep writing to someone who keeps not answering.
...if you press too hard on something delicate, it bruises like a lily.
I've been idle for some time in the retreats of Campania and had no opportunity to write.
I interrupt your busy schedule with my steady stream of letters — partly because I enjoy this kind of exchange...
People say rightly that the human spirit shines on a bright day and turns sallow under heavy clouds.
People are wrong to say Fortune has no judgment.
I know this letter will reach you late — either because of the duties that will keep you busy for a while, or...
I'm doing something that suits both your character and my own inclinations: introducing the finest people to your...
You've made up for your long silence with a double delivery.
It's an old saying that talent is nourished by honor.
This entry contains only a manuscript reference number and no letter text.
You deserve to hear about things that have recently done me credit, given your devoted interest in my affairs.
Shortly afterward, I had promised to support the son of my friend Trygetius as a candidate for the praetorship...
I was overjoyed to hear that your health has been restored — your well-being is always my highest wish.
I could have kept this letter short, since your cousin seemed likely to satisfy you with his own account better than...
Our reasons for not writing are different, but the result is the same.
Good gods, how nothing is safe or certain for us mortals!
You ask — like a good citizen born for the common welfare — what reliable reports say about the current crisis.
For my part, I'm secure enough in our friendship to take it in stride if someone who loves me slips up.
We'd planned to linger in the countryside a while longer, but news of the homeland's troubles changed our plans.
I'm no less pleased that you liked my speech than that the Senate — the better part of humanity — heard it with...
So you boast of your leisure and your hunting.
You've given me great comfort in my grief.
I know you're advising me out of genuine love.
You're busy with public affairs, so a short letter will spare you the tedium of a long read.
For now, I'm sending what seemed enough to honor our friendship, given both your busy schedule and the courier's haste.
Take heart — be patient with the duty that's been imposed on you.
You urge me to cultivate our friendship through frequent correspondence.
I know you value people for their character, not their rank.
You say you're hampered by endless obligations and can't manage to write to your dearest friends as diligently as...
Full of hope since you announced your forthcoming visit, I'm putting the spur to those already hurrying, and I ask...
Let others speak at length when introducing strangers.
You may be surprised that I'm recommending a bishop.
You want to know what I think about the people who've provoked me.
Gelasius, whom I wish well, has taken on the management of an imperial household — a post that brought him some...
I'd recommend Anysius to you — an admirable man — except that he entered my circle of friends on your introduction...
Rufus, the treasurer of the pontifical college, is bringing you the college's formal petition.
My friend Acutianus could have obtained what he's asking for on his own — he's no less familiar to you than to me.
My friends Magnus and Magnillus have a petition I've agreed to support.
Since the gods have given you the power to be useful to my friends, I'm confident that Romanus — an excellent man...
There's something in my daughter Galla's [the text says "Fusgania" — possibly a copyist error] complaints that I'll...
It's human nature that people who stammer end up talking more — they keep going out of embarrassment at their own...
Looking after a friend's requests is the duty of a good man — especially when justice supports the petition.
Of all the ... literary men, you were the last whose approval of my speech I most eagerly desired.
You know — whether by reputation or firsthand — how long I've championed your achievements.
Here's my second letter, and I still haven't received a reply to the first.
I believe the distinguished Vitalianus asked me for this letter more as a courtesy to me than as any real help to...
I've been deeply impatient with your silence — the kind of complaint that comes naturally to those who care.
It's a sign of your devotion that you take me to task for my silence.
Every time I receive a letter from you, a kind of image of your actual presence appears before my eyes.
At last my health has been restored — it had been quarreling with me for some time.
Whether this letter will find you still at Milan is anyone's guess.
If the opportunity to write came often enough, my will would never fail to match it.
I'll never hold back when it comes to pleasing you.
This entry contains only a manuscript reference number and no letter text.
The splendor of your eloquence is nothing new to me.
Although my affection for you always keeps me from being stingy with letters, right now I'm writing more eagerly...
I'd been wondering, my dear friend, why you'd let the silence drag on so long.
Our exchange of friendly letters is a sweet competition, and rightly we've both taken care not to be outdone.
I shouldn't need to recommend the honorable Zeno, since I know he already belongs to your circle of friends.
This entry contains only a manuscript reference number and no letter text.
Let unknown men be praised so that the light of testimony may illuminate merits hidden in obscurity.
The fact that I received no letter from you when the emperor entrusted me with reading his speech before the...
The effort I've been putting into writing speeches, you've rewarded with the prize of praise.
Since you welcome my letters, they'll come more frequently.
It's been a long time since you honored me with a letter.
When I'm vouching for a friend to someone who already trusts me, I keep things brief.
Late consolation only reopens wounds.
I see, most distinguished consul, what a heavy obligation your affection places on me.
...Fortune has seized my hand; she's dragged me back against my will.
The news that you're at Milan reached me by rumor before your letter arrived — fame lets nothing about prominent men...
Whatever generosity you showed to those who were present might seem merely the expected tribute of their attendance.
It's certainly in your nature to use your influence to help everyone who distinguishes himself in imperial service.
Lest you think I've been entirely idle, I'm entrusting to your learned judgment a little book — a record of my...
...I could form some estimate of your friendship's value.
Alexander, a most honorable man who has been assigned a provincial governorship, believes his position would be...
This is the famous Paralius — whose own father, by accusing him, did him as much good as harm.
Let antiquity, so lavish with praise, fall silent — the age that honored Apelles, Zeuxis, and their like with...
Wanting to know how your family's business is going — that's the mark of a loyal and honorable concern.
Relax — take a break and enjoy your leisure.
Having arrived at Formiae well into the day, and thinking you'd be anxious about us, we're writing ahead of any...
Having covered the coast beyond Formiae that stretches toward Axyr, we won't delay the ship and its rowers.
A matter close to my heart demands your assistance.
Your first letter reached me — so short, so hurried, it seemed to be imitating your journey.
Both my respect for you and my sense of duty would make any occasion for writing worth seizing — let alone one as...
Justice, admittedly, doesn't need an advocate.
The silence between us has grown long enough that I feel the weight of it, and I write now partly to discharge the...
...I'm waiting impatiently for your arrival.
I have learned that several people were strolling around our city's forum after receiving letters from me, and I am...
When I was surveying in writing the civil and military achievements of our lord Theodosius [Emperor Theodosius I, r.
I took Aurelianus — my protege, who now commands the urban cohorts — into my circle of friends at your suggestion.
I wrote this letter for the modest and devoted Marcellus and Romanus more as a gesture of friendship than with any...
If you haven't yet learned about my son Nicasius's praiseworthy character and honorable way of life, then accept as...
A familiar greeting customarily precedes a personal letter, but I am more eager to wish you well in my heart than to...
Here is your son — whom I've pried from my own comfort to satisfy your longing.
I come to the aid of my conscience, which will not allow me to remain indebted to the services of friends.
Duty suggested I should write, since the person delivering this letter hopes for more from your judgment than from mine.
I have long been hoping to restore the health of my poor body, if only I could enjoy the healthful air of the...
I had thought that my many admonitions and encouragements had added some measure of endurance to your spirit.
I practically seized Simplicius, the imperial agent, at the very gate of the Via Flaminia, just to dictate these few...
You're certainly well-supplied with counsel and prepared for every situation — a man of your wisdom and cultivation...
I was thoroughly displeased by the solitude of Baiae [a famous resort on the Bay of Naples, now largely abandoned]...
Although rumor has already brought you the news — that you have been relieved of your public responsibilities — I...
Go ahead — judge my decisions in hindsight, as you like, and blame me for the prefecture's complaint that it was...
When you vouch for a good man, you recommend your own judgment as much as you help his cause.
You can easily imagine how I received the news of the Sicilian affair gone wrong — you who know that the injustice...
...and you care for me, but I worry that you might take up some fight on my behalf while I'm away and draw hostility...
The man who ought to have delivered your letter to me will instead deliver mine to you — for you and I do not share...
The report of the distinguished vicar, our colleague, will lay out the shameful nature of the crime that's been...
Word is that you've ordered Ampelius and some other senators from Sardinia, as is claimed, to appear before the...
I assumed your return was approaching, since the sacred rites of the Mother of the Gods [the festival of Cybele, the...
I too embrace the old-fashioned form in my letter headings, and I am quite surprised that a copyist's error crept in.
Has it really pleased our common father [the emperor] to keep you detained longer than I would wish?
I cannot decide what form of reply best suits the occasion.
My son Parthenius's arrival needs no embellishment of recommendation.
The philosopher Horus, a man of exceptional life and learning, has long been dear to me.
I congratulate my friend Ignatius: your affection for him has outstripped even my own diligent care.
I am getting ahead of your voluntary generosity with a formal request, so that what you would freely give may appear...
I recommended the son of the distinguished Macedonius to you some time ago, when he first entered your court.
Many people speak well of Sexio's record as former governor of Calabria, and for that reason they've asked me to...
The palatine officials [imperial court staff] accused of wrongdoing, whom Your Excellency ordered brought from...
Those who obtain their wishes by the gods' kindness feel that honoring the source of their blessings in person is a...
They say that Socrates, whenever his plans were thwarted or his intentions went awry, considered whatever happened...
With the gods' help, we arrived at our destination after a smooth voyage and an easy journey.
On the third day before the Nones of October [October 5], I replied to your letter at first light.
I haven't felt like writing until now — not with the complaints of my various ailments making such a racket, and I...
We'll be setting out for home tomorrow, God willing — which you already knew.
I'd already sent my letter, which I assume has reached you by now.
My return and arrival in the city -- which is always welcome to everyone -- did not match our expectations in terms...
You are performing the duty of a good brother, but stop reminding someone who already remembers.
A complaint that demands a duty is itself a gracious thing.
In hopes of good health, we have chosen a place near the sea, but the winds are still fighting against us and we...
In the most important matters, I have frequently noticed how much effort and love you devote to me.
I had resolved to be away from home for a long while and was enjoying a pleasant period of leisure with our friends...
A short while ago I sent you a letter; now I send this reply.
I was living at my suburban estate, which lies beside the Appian Way, when your letter was delivered to me by a...
I had hoped for the vacant plot of land near Naples that adjoins my property from yours, so that I might build a new...
Both the dress and the hair of Serapammon proclaim him a man of literary learning -- he would never have adopted the...
After I gave your assistant Gaudentius a letter reporting on my completed journey, an imperial agent brought me...
Many things commend my friend Cresconius to your affection.
The preparation for my consulship keeps me busy with joyful and fortunate obligations.
Outstanding merits require no supporting witness, since virtue, conspicuous in its own light, rejects the aid of...
If friendship always demands that we help each other's affairs with mutual services, how much more attentively...
My written recommendation carries little weight if my friend Leontius is not commended by his own blameless life and...
A brief message is necessary when it is entrusted to someone in a hurry.
Just as I cannot remain silent whenever an occasion invites my pen, so too, when there is no subject for a longer...
It is a duty of human decency to furnish recommendations to those who seek them.
Considering how much affection you are kind enough to show me, I expect that my servant Cyriacus will find a warm...
The most distinguished Honoratus has pleased me above all others for his integrity and his way of life.
It delights me to write frequently to those whose loving disposition toward me I have confirmed by clear evidence.
The protector Valentinianus, who was some time ago entrusted and commended to you through my good offices under your...
While a well-known case was pending before the Prefect's court, Dyscolius, who had brought the charge of theft,...
Your love for Domitius is well known and firmly established, which spares me the labor of commending him.
Both the usual and the unusual contributions are being made by you for the production of our games.
Some men delight in profits and gains; I prefer to spend on what fulfills my desires.
Our brother Andromachus possesses all the good arts, but above all others, faithfulness.
Our brother Hilarius has commended the most devoted Titianus to me.
Our son Symmachus, having completed his games as a candidate for office, presents to you the customary quaestorian...
Many people have asked me for letters of introduction, but the merits of some and the importunity of others have...
For a long time now, my lord and brother Alypius has wished to visit the sacred court.
You judged rightly and commendably that our brother Tatianus, the spectabilis, should be entrusted with the task.
Although the difficulties of communication have increased with distance, I do not allow them to interrupt the...
I feel as though I am traveling with you whenever your vivid narrative describes your comings and goings.
It is the voice of law and justice that a good-faith contract cannot be rescinded.
I take delight both in the honor with which you have now been elevated and in your continuing affection for me.
A short while ago I sent a letter, but I do not begrudge doubling the greeting that is owed to you.
You are always the bearer of great joys for me, but now what you report has exceeded even my prayers.
I'm writing from the country, paying you my usual tribute of correspondence.
Ancient custom dictates that those who travel abroad should write home first, but affection overrides protocol and...
It's perfectly reasonable for you to demand frequent letters from me — but it's not reasonable to jump to dark...
The experts in rhetoric say there's no controversy when both sides are guilty of the same thing.
This letter's Latin text is heavily corrupted by OCR artifacts and critical apparatus, making continuous translation...
A welcome opportunity has arisen to send you word of my well-being.
I received your letter with such delight — arriving as it did after a long silence — that I confess I've completely...
I received your letter with such pleasure — coming as it did after a long silence — that I confess I've completely...
You expect longer letters from me.
This letter's text is heavily interspersed with critical apparatus notes.
You want longer letters from me.
Your servant delivered two letters from you, and I would be guilty of bad faith if I did not reply in kind.
I count it a personal credit that you've announced your long-desired return.
You ask me to reply -- your letters are practically a challenge to a duel.
You will perhaps accuse me of an excessively long silence.
The person who brings you this letter is known to me in the way that one knows people whose family one has done...
I have good grounds for complaint: you were raised to the honor of a pontificate and gave me no sign of our shared joy.
You are certainly blessed with natural gifts and intellectual talent, but even you will find it hard to excuse such...
You have finally broken your long silence -- though, by Hercules, only after being prodded by my repeated letters.
You've chosen the easier topic.
I wish I could use you as my envoy to the excellent consul to explain and excuse my absence -- if I knew that you...
You possess such an abundance of eloquence that you earn pardon for your previous silence through the excellence of...
Your poem reached me and I have read it with the pleasure that work of genuine quality always gives, alongside the...
Here we are, idling in the countryside and enjoying autumn in all its variety.
...while others track scent-trails with the keen noses of their hounds.
The fact that your fortunes have flourished so splendidly I count as my own gain, since I am the kind of man who...
I had believed that nothing could be added to a friendship between us that is already full and long-established.
You're quite comfortable, I see, neglecting to write back — you know this kind of offense will go unpunished.
Your long-desired letter finally arrived with my servant's belated return, and it brought me very welcome news of...
Your long-expected letter has arrived, and it makes me all the more prompt to return the favor of correspondence.
You report what I had already perceived through hope and intuition: that the very first meeting opened the door of...
You've already done a great deal for my friend Sallustius on your own initiative.
I'm repeating my request on behalf of my friend Sallustius — whom, as you yourself confirmed, you've already taken...
My brothers Dorotheus and Septimius, praiseworthy men, carried a single letter from you.
It's a blemish on justice that my friend Magnillus — who served as vicar [deputy governor] in Africa and earned...
It is common practice for those who need help to turn to proven supporters.
My son Caecilianus, a distinguished man currently managing the grain supply of our common fatherland, has learned...
The distinguished Dusarius, who rightfully holds a leading position among medical practitioners, has asked me to...
The days pass in a relentless sequence of formal obligations, each one demanding exactly the attention that the...
When I wrote this letter to you, I was confined to my bed by illness -- freed from danger, to be sure, but still...
The strength of my health is beginning to rally — it is only fair that a steady stream of letters should now be...
I'm well. That should always be the opening line of a letter, since it's what the reader most wants to hear.
It is the mark of your character to give commands that are both pious and just.
Once again I'm extending a loan of letters to an honest debtor.
The news from the East has been, to put it gently, unsettling.
I count the joys of your fortune among my own debts, and I take you as my judge of this sentiment — you who have...
It is true that rumor is swift, but I will not agree with the Mantuan poet [Virgil] beyond that point.
...simply put, the situation demands that the discomfort of being away from home should make you appreciate what you...
Everything goes according to my wishes when I am granted the knowledge of your good health.
It is superfluous labor to recommend the conspicuous -- like holding a torch before someone standing in sunlight.
I am staying in Milan for the moment, summoned for the ceremonies of our lord Valentinian's inaugural consulship.
The obligations of friendship are not burdens but privileges.
I could have borne your silence patiently, knowing your habits, had not the fear of illness made me anxious.
Someone might think it is merely a formality that the consul of the previous year still owes these obligations.
Your servant, having carried out your instructions once we reached our destination, shouldn't leave without a...
I have exchanged the leisure of home for a pleasant journey abroad, traveling at the command of our lord Valentinian.
I testify that my servant Firmus has completed his military service with honor.
I don't mind writing to Your Excellency often, even though I've received nothing in return.
...may the diligence of our correspondence grow warmer through the fruit of reciprocity.
The sight of your family will certainly fill you with joy.
...since he earnestly requested it, I gladly lent my effort to his desire, knowing that among those who love me,...
You haven't replied to my earlier letters either, but it was my duty to write again rather than waste such a...
Your letters have pushed me to do what I was already longing to do -- to openly seek the friendship I had long been...
You are still silent, but my loquacity is not restrained by your example.
I sensed there was something behind your long abstention from letters.
I admit I've been silent for a long time, waiting for a letter from you to give me the confidence to write.
I feel utterly unequal to the task of thanking you properly for what you've done for my son Flavianus.
You'll learn from the official senate records exactly what the most distinguished order [the Roman Senate] decreed...
[To a friend] A man traveling to give thanks needs no letter of introduction, so my son Flavianus, relying on the...
Your silence has been long, and I've endured it patiently in the hope that you'd eventually write.
[The text of this letter is heavily intermixed with critical apparatus notes, making large portions unreliable for...
This is a long letter whose text is substantially intermixed with critical apparatus and OCR artifacts.
A certain sense of propriety held me back from writing first.
The opportunity of a reliable carrier has given me a chance to pay you my respects by letter.
This is a lengthy letter substantially corrupted by OCR artifacts and interwoven editorial apparatus.
I've received your letter, and with it the pleasant news that you and your family are well.
You know that our silence is an equal offense on both sides, and so the blame is unfairly placed on me alone for...
To a friend (~371 AD):
My friend Gaudentius has taken refuge in your protection -- a man who deserves to be loved in every respect.
I know what you think of me.
Let your concern for me extend beyond surface courtesy.
I owe it to men of proven worth to recommend them to you, since admission to your circle of friends is a supreme gift.
To a friend: Even when I was staying in Milan, I observed the courtesy of greeting you, and now that I have...
You excuse yourself for your long silence.
Resume the path of our long-neglected custom — I lead the way, being the first to break our shared offense of silence.
I reap annual harvests of joy from your letters -- this is the return, these are the riches that Spain pays me.
A fragmentary letter surviving only as a partial heading and brief reference in the manuscript.
Our friendship is on everyone's lips, and the fame of your horses has reached distant places.
...I pray you, show the just kindness of a fair price and good selection in this long foreign journey, so that the...
If I may say so, we no longer lack a supply of chariot horses for the games — but the delay in the praetorship spurs...
No one who carries your letters to me has ever gone back to you empty-handed.
...I am still waiting in suspense for your judgment on those pieces belonging to our togaed nation.
I had long been waiting for your letters, uncertain in my mind about what so prolonged a silence might mean.
Even if personal and friendly petition were lacking, the force of public justice could not fail to support so...
Generously, as is your way, you sent an attendant to assist our return journey.
When I departed, you entrusted me with a responsibility befitting our friendship: not to keep silent about matters...
The results will show how much your diligence has accomplished for the public good, once unnecessary expenditures...
I was wondering what could possibly explain the fact that a man so devoted to the courtesies of friendship had...
You do me a great kindness every time you honor our friendship with news of your well-being.
The sincerity of my friendship has, I trust, been proven to you.
You yourself provided the carrier for this reply — so I owe you a double debt of gratitude: the letter came from...
I'm delighted that your first letter came to me, and I earnestly ask that you not abandon this gracious habit.
I took up your letter with great eagerness, since a long silence had built up my desire for news.
This is a lengthy letter whose text is substantially corrupted by OCR artifacts and interwoven critical apparatus.
You know our friend Anastasius well — you've seen him often at home.
[To a friend about Anastasius] You know our friend Anastasius well — you've seen him often in your own home.
I was glad to receive your letter and even more pleased by its contents.
The bearer will deliver to you a gift that our friendship has long promised.
I was glad to learn from your letter that everything is going well for you and that your public responsibilities are...
It wouldn't be right to let the kinswoman of the holy philosopher Asclepiades leave without a letter from me.
I'm tired and annoyed with writing — how long are we going to keep imitating the pleasure of real conversation with...
Don't blame the boy for the slow return.
I owe you a letter and I am paying the debt with this one — though I am aware that a letter written primarily from...
I had every intention of making the journey, but the late summons left too little time to arrive.
Whole cohorts of letters follow in the wake of your departure, and just as some people seek Athens for its schools...
I recently read your letter and could tell your spirits were low.
Your letter was trimmed to Spartan brevity but overflows with substance.
A fragmentary letter header; the text is largely lost.
I'm overjoyed that an old debt has been paid to your merits at last.
We ought to help our friends when they ask for what's just — especially our friend Alexander, whom we approve in...
I can hardly bear the departure of friends, but when they head off to be in your company, I feel as though they were...
Since I know you are a man of merciful disposition, I have undertaken the task of requesting a pardon on behalf of a...
I am delighted that my friend Drinnacus has won your approval, for it reflects no small honor on me whenever our...
In a letter sweeter than any reproach, you scold me for my neglected duty, and I thank you for it.
You do well to console my leisure with your steady stream of letters.
Rumor had promised you'd be coming home to our shared city.
You write that respect for me flourishes among all.
People who are well-known and well-tested deserve a ready recommendation, so they may come to the attention of good...
I love your letters — they always bring me some good news.
I am glad that my friend Aurelius has been admitted to the circle of your proteges — not only for his sake, since...
My affection for you urged me to write; the haste of the departing courier limited me to a few words.
I've given this letter to the carrier of the official dispatches, paying my respects with a greeting and at the same...
Our brother Helpidius was called away not only by desire for your company but also by the consul's letter.
The matter of the appointment you mentioned in your last letter is one I have been giving some thought to, and I...
I would not have you judge the character of the man I am recommending by the standards of the others who handle...
You gave me more than I asked for.
I would have attended to your interests even without a reminder.
The return to private life after the prefecture has been, I will confess, somewhat more difficult than I anticipated.
I was unable to attend the Senate on the day when the son of Thalassius was released from the obligations of our...
The urgency of a repeated request adds great weight to my first petition, and so I press my case again about...
Everyone who hopes to be helped by gaining access to you takes -- in my judgment -- no fruitless path to winning...
Duty demanded that I write, especially since a convenient opportunity presented itself.
Quaestors of our order [quaestor-designates who were expected to sponsor elaborate public games as part of the...
I would say more, if justice needed many prayers to assist it.
I should not be a braggart about my devotion to you -- our mutual obligations spring from a genuine sense of duty...
The quadragesima [a 2.
The heirs of Ampelius, a man of illustrious memory, are being harassed by a private lawsuit.
It is the mark of youthful vigor to rouse wild beasts from their woodland lairs and to pursue liberal studies with...
The hunt for wild animals testifies to your full and robust health -- no weakling could manage such exertions.
You have confirmed my own longstanding judgment about the charm and amenity of the Formian coast [modern Formia,...
You have opened the door to correspondence late.
I delight in the regular frequency of your letters and draw abundant joy from this gift.
Regilianus, the son of my friend, has already proven himself worthy of respect through his own honest conduct, quite...
The dinner was a success, or at least it achieved what I intended it to achieve: the two men who needed to meet each...
...so that I might discharge my obligation to you according to the ancient custom.
On the eighth day, after struggling through many difficulties on the road, I finally greeted my home.
It is right to support those who desire honorable things, so that worthy intentions may be aided by the backing of...
To the excellent Bonosus -- who, after completing his palatine military service, has demonstrated his integrity...
You have been silent for a long time, but I must not imitate such an example.
You ask how I am and what I am doing.
I hope for your presence -- for you are not in the habit of abandoning your promises.
I escort with this letter a fellow citizen and mutual friend, whose virtues are already known to you and therefore...
The management of our estates demands constant attention -- a truth that every landowner learns through hard experience.
It is an act full of piety that you spontaneously anticipate a brother's wish.
The senatorial obligations are drawing our attention to pressing concerns.
That you collect my letters is a sign of your affection, though I note that you do not seem to be very selective...
You are laying traps for my shyness, which I hide behind the modesty of silence.
We cannot bear the stubbornness of our people, who have not paid their outstanding obligations from previous years.
The years have a way of making one's position on certain questions more nuanced than it was in youth, and I want to...
...to bite back with retaliation, but I never repay a friend's negligence with equal contempt.
We have reached the shore at Formiae.
Returned to Rome after completing my embassy, I found your letters waiting -- letters in which you commend your...
I have been sent to Milan by the Senate to implore the aid of our divine emperor.
The circumstances of our time test every friendship, and those that survive the test emerge stronger.
If the conditions of my present situation permitted, I would throw myself into your affairs even without being asked.
On matters that are plain and obvious, it's better to consult the facts than listen to gossip.
Your letter brightened my day, and your words doubled the pleasure of our household's birthday celebration.
Grand requests require a preamble; for easy favors, there's no need for elaborate pleading.
My illness — a pain in my right hand — has been compounded by the bitter news you've sent.
I received your letter with such pleasure that I confess all my earlier complaints have been forgotten — the charm...
Your letter was delivered to me while I was staying at the seventh milestone on the Via Ostiensis [the road from...
Your letter was delivered while I was at the seventh milestone on the Ostian road, and I immediately arranged...
Your letter was delivered while I was at the seventh milestone along the Via Ostiensis, and I immediately arranged...
A certain convention kept me from being the first to write — old custom requires that travelers initiate the...
After this greeting, I turn to a matter that demands your attention.
I've wanted to write to you for some time, but the demands of public and private business have kept my pen idle.
I was delighted by the letter from our friend that you wanted me to read, and please believe me when I say I wasn't...
The frequency of my earlier letters has used up everything worth writing.
I can see you're still wondering whether the confiscation of property followed Rufinus's punishment [Rufinus was a...
The fortunes of our shared homeland have been reduced to such dire straits that the worst must be avoided.
I foresaw the fear that news of my illness would cause you.
Friendship is measured by hearts, not by years.
To our friend Castor, who is returning to Campania, I've entrusted more verbal instructions about household matters...
[Note: The source text survives only as a single sentence fragment, likely due to a lacuna in the manuscript...
I would gladly have helped Taburus's brother, whom you asked me to assist, and would have done so without...
You had written that my daughter's health was fully restored.
My brother Entrechius, a man of distinction, sent his children away -- driven by a father's impatient love, with the...
The anger that comes from injustice cuts deep, but the medicine of patience should soften the pain.
I should have held off writing, since my distinguished son Decius is heading your way and will tell you far more...
Sapricius, a refined man and a dear friend of mine, would have earned your devoted attention without any endorsement...
My dear Zenodorus doesn't yet know you in person, but your reputation has already won his admiration.
I've also lifted the spirits of the Roman people.
A longer letter would be needed if I were recommending a stranger.
If anything in this life can be relied on, let me tell you: I've come back from the brink after the internal pain...
Opportunities to send you greetings must be sought out when they're scarce and seized when they appear -- especially...
After we sent the boy off, a persistent rumor spread that you are to be summoned by an imperial letter.
The distinguished Principius, a man of fine birth and proven integrity, hardly needs a recommendation from anyone...
I'm staying at my country house outside the city.
Whatever we were hoping for from Sicily is still uncertain.
Your brother has been deeply grieved by the loss of his tutor and only recently started listening to those trying to...
As long as the rumors are still circulating and nothing is settled, stay calm and enjoy your leisure.
When the imperial letter was delivered to me -- summoning us to attend the distinguished consul's ceremony -- I...
...so you should know that these friends were hand-picked by the distinguished consul himself, and that you are the...
A greeting comes first -- it suits my wishes above all else and is the proper way to begin a letter.
Our friend Severus has been released from his public troubles and is heading home to enjoy some peace.
I'm puzzled that the servants we sent to you on different days still haven't returned.
My first concern is always to ask how your health stands.
I have been sick with worry ever since I learned that my daughter is suffering from her familiar complaint.
...was unexpectedly held up.
I recently received a letter from Euscius reporting that our charioteers and some stage performers have been put...
We tried to keep the crocodiles -- the ones displayed at the theater show -- alive for your visit.
It's unnecessary work to remind someone who already remembers, but when you've taken on a friend's business, you...
Since I learned you've been laid low by your usual ailment, every other worry has vanished from my mind.
You sent me no letter with your servant, it's true.
City business -- I have neither the time to learn about it nor the desire to write about it.
The birthday gift you sent -- may our shared happiness keep this tradition alive for many years to come -- lifted my...
I've already used up my writing time with the servant heading back to Campania, but I didn't want your saintly and...
I'm perfectly willing to write, but I'd rather save the news for my dear son Sibidius to relay in person at his leisure.
My earlier letter already told you what I could say now.
We need to renew our petition for the emperor's visit.
Please welcome Maximus -- an old friend but a brand-new courier [agens in rebus, an imperial messenger], a man going...
I wrote yesterday through my own man, struck with fear after you reported the bitter news about my daughter's health.
I trust that by now the prefect's earlier letter has reached you.
I've already satisfied both my regard for you and your expectations with a great number of letters in recent days.
Since our dear Sibidius returned to Rome and reported how badly my daughter is suffering physically, my own spirits...
The situation is, as you will have gathered from the general news, one that calls for caution rather than boldness.
Your first letter, quickly followed by a second, had given me some hope of your return.
Old custom dictates that the person leaving home should send the first letter.
Recommending leisure is easy enough -- but that kind of advice requires a man who's master of his own time.
Our Senate's delegates have returned after handling everything successfully.
I had already sent a letter with my own messenger when Maximus turned up asking for another.
You wrote that you'd taken a purgative to clear your bowels, hoping it would bring down the inflammation in your...
There is plenty to write about, but my spirit recoils from speaking things that are painful to recall.
We'd been away from the city only a few days when popular demand called us back for the theatrical games.
It's true that a person can't have everything he wishes for at once.
Although I hope, God willing, that we'll be seeing each other face to face very soon, I still couldn't let any time...
You tried a clever trick to excuse your silence: you claimed you were holding back bad news as long as things were...
I confess I've kept my pen idle for a while.
Indulge yourselves, by all means -- you're so overflowing with the bounty of land and sea that the wealth of both...
We've returned to our home and household gods, only to find a few unpleasant surprises.
I'm in agony from kidney pain.
I haven't been stalling on purpose with my reply.
I had planned to pass through Fundi [modern Fondi] if I'd learned you had gone to Formiae [modern Formia].
Not a day goes by without a letter from me.
I got ahead of your inquiry -- knowing you'd be worried when you heard I'd fallen ill -- and although I'd already...
When your boy delivered a single letter, he insisted I write back immediately, as if he were about to rush straight...
May this day live forever -- the day that gave you to us as a daughter.
I would have loved to be with you to celebrate my dear daughter's birthday -- may it return for many years to come.
You sent over everything from the birthday feast — every dish and delicacy made its way to us.
...we missed the company of those whose presence and companionship can make even a modest dinner feel special.
Take this opening salvo of fatherly words with good cheer, and be generous in returning the favor going forward.
The moment a familiar opportunity to write presented itself, I didn't hesitate to put my longing for you on paper.
I'm sending you a second letter so that my steady stream of words can be a comfort to us both.
The consular magnificence did full justice to the circus games.
I expect another letter of mine will reach you first, since the carriers of this one are following a slow pack-mule...
I've just received the letter I'd been hoping for, and it showed both the devotion of your spirit and the progress...
Our trip abroad has been extended by a few extra days, since the rains have postponed the games.
I trust that a steady flow of letters from me is enough to comfort your heart.
I'm delighted that your letters sparkle with sharp observations and clever turns of phrase.
Our friend Annius was passing through so quickly that all I could manage was a bare word of greeting.
My spirits lift every time a letter from you arrives.
The news of your illness alarmed me terribly, even though the same letter reassured me that your health had been...
Conflicting rumors slowed my journey.
Since no official courier was available, I entrusted this letter to a private traveler.
...I entered Milan on the day before the Kalends of March [February 28], after a long and winding detour.
Our friendship had led me to expect your visit.
This letter survives only in fragmentary form, with the manuscript text too damaged to reconstruct reliably.
I'm glad you missed hearing from me, but I reject any charge of negligence.
...is there really anything in my words that can soothe your ears or serve as medicine for your mind?
So I've been keeping silent for nothing, waiting confidently for you to keep your promise.
I'd just come back from the coast at Formiae to my house on the Caelian Hill [one of Rome's seven hills] when I...
You've redeemed two offenses against friendship in a single letter, with wit as your payment: you'd been away too...
The Tiburtine villa that recently came into your possession deserves a more talented wordsmith than me.
After your letter was delivered by my coachman and the greeting he brought from the road discharged my obligation,...
I debated for some time whether to honor you with a letter while properly waiting for your return.
Your eyes are searching for me, I'm sure -- but don't let your heart doubt that I'm present.
Your silence has lasted long enough that I have concluded either that you are extremely busy or that you are...
You told me to stay at Baiae [the famous resort on the Bay of Naples].
If you had answered my letter, you would have lightened your own conscience.
I dare invite you to my estate at Lavinium [an ancient town south of Rome] after the delights of Tibur, and I won't...
You always claim you put my interests above your own.
Though I'm laid low by a serious fever, I couldn't deny you the courtesy of a letter without seeming to neglect my...
Neither the departure of our distinguished brother Proelianus allowed me to stay silent, nor would my own affection...
Country leisure is certainly a pleasure, but I put your company first.
You're trying to lure me out of Campania's embrace with praises of your Tiburtine estate.
We're planning to retrace our route and finally return to your sight, even though my son is still weak and I've been...
I recently sent you news of my good health, and I still haven't received a matching report about yours.
After the customary greeting, I'll pass along the request of Gaetulicus, an agent in rebus [an imperial courier and...
You tempt me with talk of the Campanian coast, but here at our Praenestine estate [near modern Palestrina, in the...
We haven't yet reached the coast at Naples to see the crown jewel of your estate, but everything the Tyrrhenian Sea...
I'm glad you're well. But the idea that the coast at Naples outshines our Formiae -- I suspect that's not really...
You were joking, I think, when you wrote that you'd been frightened by soldiers on the road -- a transparent excuse...
Fortune often upsets the best-laid plans -- and that's exactly what happened to me.
You've been free of public duties for some time -- you should have returned in person rather than soothing your...
What happened to your promises?
...either soothe your busy mind or repay my courtesies when you're at leisure.
Friendship was invented so that the exchange of favors might serve mutual benefit.
This letter survives only in fragmentary form, with the manuscript text too damaged to reconstruct reliably.
I can tell that the devoted attention I pay your household is well known to you -- that's why you share good news...
We've arrived, but I already regret coming.
As I reported in my previous letter, my health was struck down on arrival -- whether by bad water or the change of...
I know you both want and expect my letters, since custom dictates that the person setting out should open the exchange.
It is a pious and traditional custom for quaestorian candidates [young officials sponsoring public games] to send...
Since a long exchange between us had fallen quiet, I could no longer put off the customary greeting.
I've been writing frequently these past days, but no amount of letters can satisfy the heart of someone who truly cares.
If my earlier letters on behalf of my friend Iucundus had accomplished their purpose, I'd be writing to thank you...
Both my devotion to you and my duty to the distinguished Eusebius -- a man who has earned the respect of the best...
The friendships of parents are rightly passed down to their children, so that affection once formed may benefit the...
I believe my letter reached you some time ago, explaining that my friend Iucundus, though eager for your judgment,...
You've always stood out for the brilliance of your life and learning, but now the congratulations of all good men...
I feel the affection you think it right to return, but I'm deeply surprised that you suspect my son Flavianus -- who...
...may he carry back your lasting affection and a greeting in return.
Mutual affection makes it natural for me to delegate tasks that serve my interests.
...the family's fortunes have grown, and my lord and son Flavianus is enjoying the fruits of private leisure.
The most august senate has appointed my lord and son Attalus as envoy to our lords and emperors, chosen from among...
I won't let you go without hearing from me, and your silence won't lead me to imitate it.
I'm certain that nothing delights your heart more than letters from friends.
I make a point of writing to you often, so it never seems my care for our friendship has cooled.
I know it speaks to our friendship that I involve you in my difficulties.
I've grown more confident in my affection for Athanasius, a man of fine qualities, now that I've learned your...
This isn't a new request -- it's one you'll recognize.
Don't judge my care for you by the length of this letter.
You'll never lead me, by your silence, to follow your example.
Your letter has kept me in suspense, and I'm anxious to hear encouraging news.
...your delight prompted a letter written in high spirits.
With this first letter, I'm inviting your confidence.
This letter survives only in fragmentary form, with the manuscript text too damaged to reconstruct reliably.
I believe I've beaten the news to you — the report that you've been relieved not only of the honor but also of its...
I'm overjoyed to hear you're well and that you haven't forgotten our friendship amid the hardships of public business.
I'm glad my recommendation wasn't doubted, and I count it as a personal credit that Auxentius — a fine young man and...
I pray the gods that the health I'm enjoying extends to you and your family as well.
[First letter] It pleased the public interest that greater responsibilities were entrusted to you.
This letter spans several pages and is heavily interspersed with critical apparatus.
A convenient occasion arose to send you tokens of my well-being.
It serves the public interest that greater responsibilities have been entrusted to you.
The public interest is well served by your appointment to greater responsibilities.
The public interest is well served by your elevation to higher office, and I offer my congratulations — briefly, so...
This letter contains multiple sections interspersed with critical apparatus.
Among the good things parents leave behind, friendship too deserves to be inherited -- and perhaps one should pursue...
May this custom endure, and may the mutual assurance of well-being be renewed between us year after year.
I wish I could report that my son's illness has passed.
You used to be a prolix writer, matching the strength of your talent.
...you imitate the light infantry and keep your words lean.
If you know my heart at all, you can't doubt that poor health was the only thing keeping me from writing.
My son is out of danger, thank God, but he's suffering from a weakness that borders on illness.
And if fortune favors, I'll follow the letter in person soon.
Break into the gifts of familiar writing and share with me whatever you've accomplished in administering the city's...
I'd owe you rich thanks for greeting me so promptly after my departure, if the hope of a greater favor didn't claim...
You claim to be living the country life -- tending vines and grafting fruit trees, nursing a vigorous old age.
The matter you described in your last letter is one that falls, I think, within the established practice in such...
At last I'm overflowing with pleasure, now that you've reported yourself free of cares.
With the blessing of the divine powers, my son Symmachus will assume the fasces [the ceremonial rods symbolizing...
My silence shouldn't be held against me.
[To an unnamed friend] I'm renewing my recommendation of Euscius, not starting one from scratch — when you were in...
[To a friend] Since your intervention can and should serve in place of my personal presence, I'm puzzled that...
I see we've gotten into a contest of wits over a matter that friendship, reason, and time should have settled long ago.
You're right to assume I share your concerns — I'd claim them as my own even without being asked, out of friendship.
This letter contains multiple fragmentary sections heavily mixed with critical apparatus.
A matter dear to my heart requires your help: my son's games are approaching, and we need to secure noble horses of...
A personal matter draws me to seek your friendship, though your distinguished family and fine character would have...
After the customary greeting, let me come to a necessary request: my son's games are approaching, and we need to...
The moment a suitable occasion presented itself, I wrote without delay to express how much I miss you — so that,...
After the customary greeting, let me raise a pressing matter: my son's praetorian games are approaching and must be...
A fragmentary letter header; the text of this letter is largely lost, surviving only as a partial heading in the...
Other letters of mine have been chasing you across Spain -- I had assumed you were living there because of the...
I take great pleasure whenever I receive one of your letters.
I perform my duty whenever I greet you with the customary courtesy, and I do not conceal my gratitude that you repay...
While you are busy relieving the hardships of the provincials, a heavier blow has fallen on the Apulians.
I certainly wish you such abundant wealth that you can buy the finest estates — but I would prefer that you do so...
You used to recommend young lawyers to my tribunal when I presided over the courts.
I have no doubt that you care about men of quality -- for your own character must take pleasure in the company of...
The memory of the former consul Petronius, whose home was in Ariminum [Rimini], requires me to defend his orphaned...
The honorable Severus has enlisted me in fulfilling his dearest wish.
We should be silent about fortune's blows, lest a belated consolation tear open the scar of past grief.
I would devote a long letter to the merits of our mutual friend Eusebius, if you did not already know more than I...
I ask that, having been admitted into your clientele, he may be glad both that my patronage has been of use to him...
I readily recommend my friend Eusebius — not as someone new or unknown, but as a man already proven by his loyalty...
I repay everyone who gives me an occasion to write with the currency of a recommendation.
The question is now in your hands: whether I should continue to maintain my regular habit of writing to you, or...
It is my habit to be the first to seek out the friendship of worthy men.
The fame of your literary cultivation made me desire your acquaintance long ago, but I put off the duty of writing...
...it is up to you whether to call those you say were lost in a storm shipwrecks or mere setbacks.
At the point of death, she begged me — both in person and by letter, with the most urgent prayers — to obtain a...
...bears will shortly be brought from overseas.
A worthy cause deserves the support of your generous spirit.
Although I know that modesty is kin to virtue, I nevertheless wished to find in the letters of your highness an...
My duties are not yet finished, and the city's demands are not yet satisfied.
The grain supply from Africa has been interrupted; I write to report the situation and to request the imperial...
The recommendation I make in this letter is made on the basis of genuine knowledge and genuine judgment, not merely...
The public games require animals from the provinces, and the provincial governors have been less cooperative than...
A legal question has arisen in the administration of the city that requires an imperial rescript to resolve; I set...
The building in question has been in its current state of disrepair for longer than is consistent with the dignity...
The season at the villa has given me the leisure to reflect on what the office demands and what it gives in return;...
Your silence has been long enough that I write to break it from my end; the alternative is that we lose the habit...
The matter of the candidate you recommended has been handled as you wished, though not without some difficulty that...
The library continues to grow, the correspondence continues to multiply, and the hours available for reading...
A poet of real quality has appeared among the younger men of the senatorial class; I draw your attention to him...
The vintage this year was excellent, and the estate manager has expressed a confidence in the coming season's yield...
The news from the Danube frontier has been better in the past month than in the previous year, which is a relief;...
The prefectural records require an imperial confirmation on a question of precedent; I set out the question in the...
I have been asked to use my influence in a matter that touches your interest as well as mine; I raise it here...
The games this spring were the best I have provided, and the city's response confirmed my judgment that the...
The question of the appointment is one I have raised before and raise again now with more information than I had...
My son continues his studies and gives me, on the whole, satisfaction; I say this with the caution appropriate to a...
The events at Adrianople have changed the texture of Roman public life in ways that are not yet fully visible; I set...
The formal obligations of the season are behind me now, and I find myself with an unusual surplus of unobligated...
The young man I am recommending to you is someone I have watched for three years, and my confidence in him is not...
The restoration of the Altar of Victory [the famous pagan altar in the Senate House, removed by Gratian in 382 and...
I write to you from a Rome that is, in the literal sense, less Roman than the Rome I grew up in; the changes are...
The petition to the Emperor has been drafted and will be sent through the proper channels; I do not expect success...
The political situation in the West has resolved itself, at least for the moment, in ways that are better than I...
The question of how to live well in a world that is changing faster than one can adapt to it is one that occupies me...
My correspondence pile is, as always, a reproach to my sense of order and an index of my affections; the people I...
The vintage from the Campanian estate has been sent to you as I promised; I hope it travels well and arrives in the...
I have read the manuscript you sent and found it, as I expected, better than its author's modest description; I set...
The season in the city has been unusually demanding, with three official events in the same week and the usual...
On the question you raised in your last letter about the proper interpretation of the relevant precedent: I think...
The games next month will require the cooperation of several persons whose cooperation I cannot always count on; I...
A matter of city administration has come to my attention that I believe needs to be addressed promptly; I write to...
The book you requested has been copied and will arrive with this letter; I add to it another that I think will...
The years accumulate their losses as well as their satisfactions, and the late summer has brought one of each; I...
The embassy I undertook on behalf of the Senate was not a success in the sense of achieving its stated objective,...
I remain, despite everything, convinced that the way of life we have built — the culture, the friendship, the...
My duties are not yet finished, and the city's demands are not yet satisfied.
The grain supply from Africa has been interrupted; I write to report the situation and to request the imperial...
The recommendation I make in this letter is made on the basis of genuine knowledge and genuine judgment, not merely...
The public games require animals from the provinces, and the provincial governors have been less cooperative than...
A legal question has arisen in the administration of the city that requires an imperial rescript to resolve; I set...
The building in question has been in its current state of disrepair for longer than is consistent with the dignity...
The season at the villa has given me the leisure to reflect on what the office demands and what it gives in return;...
Your silence has been long enough that I write to break it from my end; the alternative is that we lose the habit...
The matter of the candidate you recommended has been handled as you wished, though not without some difficulty that...
The library continues to grow, the correspondence continues to multiply, and the hours available for reading...
A poet of real quality has appeared among the younger men of the senatorial class; I draw your attention to him...
The vintage this year was excellent, and the estate manager has expressed a confidence in the coming season's yield...
The news from the Danube frontier has been better in the past month than in the previous year, which is a relief;...
The prefectural records require an imperial confirmation on a question of precedent; I set out the question in the...
I have been asked to use my influence in a matter that touches your interest as well as mine; I raise it here...
The games this spring were the best I have provided, and the city's response confirmed my judgment that the...
The question of the appointment is one I have raised before and raise again now with more information than I had...
My son continues his studies and gives me, on the whole, satisfaction; I say this with the caution appropriate to a...
The events at Adrianople have changed the texture of Roman public life in ways that are not yet fully visible; I set...
The formal obligations of the season are behind me now, and I find myself with an unusual surplus of unobligated...
The young man I am recommending to you is someone I have watched for three years, and my confidence in him is not...
The restoration of the Altar of Victory [the famous pagan altar in the Senate House, removed by Gratian in 382 and...
I write to you from a Rome that is, in the literal sense, less Roman than the Rome I grew up in; the changes are...
The petition to the Emperor has been drafted and will be sent through the proper channels; I do not expect success...
The political situation in the West has resolved itself, at least for the moment, in ways that are better than I...
The question of how to live well in a world that is changing faster than one can adapt to it is one that occupies me...
My correspondence pile is, as always, a reproach to my sense of order and an index of my affections; the people I...
The vintage from the Campanian estate has been sent to you as I promised; I hope it travels well and arrives in the...
I have read the manuscript you sent and found it, as I expected, better than its author's modest description; I set...
The season in the city has been unusually demanding, with three official events in the same week and the usual...
On the question you raised in your last letter about the proper interpretation of the relevant precedent: I think...
The games next month will require the cooperation of several persons whose cooperation I cannot always count on; I...
A matter of city administration has come to my attention that I believe needs to be addressed promptly; I write to...
The book you requested has been copied and will arrive with this letter; I add to it another that I think will...
The years accumulate their losses as well as their satisfactions, and the late summer has brought one of each; I...
The embassy I undertook on behalf of the Senate was not a success in the sense of achieving its stated objective,...
I remain, despite everything, convinced that the way of life we have built — the culture, the friendship, the...
My duties are not yet finished, and the city's demands are not yet satisfied.
The grain supply from Africa has been interrupted; I write to report the situation and to request the imperial...
The recommendation I make in this letter is made on the basis of genuine knowledge and genuine judgment, not merely...