Letter 3009: You expect longer letters from me.
You expect a more generous letter from me. I am delighted by your judgment; for it is a credit to one's talent when abundance is desired. But I should wish copiousness of words to displease you. For what is speech to do, where is it to turn, where is it to linger, when it is empty of substance? I hate long draperies on a small body. That garment is becomingly put on which does not drag the dust, nor, let down to the ground, get trodden underfoot. Write something, therefore, which I may draw out by replying; although I am deceived by scruple, who dare to promise you abundant letters. I shall see what the outcome of your opinion is to be. Remember that I pledged you not selectivity but copiousness. Farewell.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
*<> Expectas a me litteras largiores. delector iudicio tuo; laus enim est ingenii, cum
desideratur ubertas. sed velim tibi verborum copiam displicere. nam quid agat, quo
se vertat, ubi inmoretur cassa rebus oratio ? odi in parvo corpore longa velamina. illa
vestis decenter indutui est, quae non trahit pulverem nec in humum demissa calcatur.
scribe ergo aliquid, quod rescribendo producam; quamquam religione decipior, qui
»s tibi uberes epistulas audeo polliceri. videro, quis sit futurus eventus sententiae tuae.
tu memento non electionem me tibi sed copiam spopondisse. vale.
XI.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern symmachus retranslated v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://archive.org/details/qaureliisymmach00seecgoog
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