Letter 9010: After the customary greeting, let me raise a pressing matter: my son's praetorian games are approaching and must be...

You have learned, I believe, that our household is occupied with the preparation of games, which my son's praetorship demands, God helping us. Being therefore about to send some of my people to the Spains, who are to purchase curule four-horse teams [chariot-racing quadrigae] from every noble line of the herds, I now appeal to your care in favor of those passing through, so that both speed of passage and the additional grant of post-warrants [evectiones, official authorizations to use the public transport service] may be furnished to them. These things, for the present, we have set forth in advance as the occasion allows; but you will grant more, either things foreseen by your own zeal or things ascertained by their suggestion. [The remainder of the source consists of editorial critical apparatus, not letter text: variant readings from manuscript F and emendations by Scioppius, together with an editorial note that this letter (omitted in one manuscript and first published by Scioppius at Verona) is headed "Symmachus to the Vicar of the Spains."]

Domum nostram in apparatn esse Indornm. qnos deo invante filii mei praetura deposcit, quantnm credo, didicisti. missnrns igitur ad Hispanias meoram aliqnos, qni 25 curales quadrigas ex omni gregnm nobilitate mercentnr, iam nunc in favorem praeter- euntinm curam tuam provoco, ut illis et velocitas transeundi et evectionum praestetur adiectio. haec interim pro tempore praelibavimns ; sed plnra tribues vel tuo provisa studio vel illoram snggestione conperta. tnor F^ / m., uel quatuor (F) mensibus hibernis F^, hiemis mensibus (JI) 8 teperie F^ / m. perit F^ 1 m. 11 enim] (/7), om. F temptationis F 12 tui om. F^ 1 m., tui beneflcii F^ 2 m. 13 uale add. F 15 hane epiatulam om. (77); primus edidit Scioppius Verifim, 1111 11 Symmachus Vicario Hispa- niarum F^ det$t nomen 17 emptionem] Seioppiui, emtation. F 19 factu] Seioppius^ facta F sed imper promouerit F, fort, sed impetratione gratam tua cura promonerit