Letter 1011: You ought to relieve one who loves you with the favor of conversation and reveal your devoted affection by the...

XI. Ennodius to Castorius and Florus. For the sake of love you ought to relieve one who loves you with conversation, and to unlock your friendly attentiveness by the testimony of speech, because a silent affection nearly takes on the role of an ungrateful one, and through the withholding of pages the force of love is cut off. For minds that are apart, the only remedy is the offering of letters, which by a certain artifice of the mind paint in writing the one with whom they speak. We think it superfluous to assert these things to you, whom noble training spurs on, for whom blood, learning, and fellowship are ready at hand. There is nothing among the liberal arts that you could be ignorant of without the fault of negligence, you whom, after the light of your birth, Faustus, the glory of Rome, has instructed. Therefore it must rather be admitted that I do not deserve what I request than that you do not know what you ought to offer. My lords, paying the dues of greeting with the most lavish humility, I pray that at some point at last, not unmindful of admonition and of our compact, you write back; in respect to which works it is not fitting that you be sluggish, since neither a holy conscience can be wanting to your way of life, nor abundant speech to your conversations.

XI. CASTORIO ET FLORO ENNODIVS. Amantem uestri gratia deberetis releuare conloquii et amicam diligentiam testimonio reserare sermonis, quia muta caritas pene obtinet uices ingrati et per paginarum abstinentiam intercipitur uis amoris. absentum animis sola litterarum medetur oblatio, quae quodam mentis artificio pingit scriptione quocum loquitur. haec apud uos superuacuum putamus adserere, quos instituta nobilia acuunt, quibus praesto est sanguis doctrina consortium. nihil est bonarum artium, quod nescire sine neglegentiae culpa possitis, quos post lucem natalium Romanum decus Faustus instituit. ergo magis fatendum est me non mereri quod postulo, quam uos nescire quid debeatis offerre. domini mi, salutationis debita effusissima humilitate persoluens precor, ut tandem aliquando non inmemores admonitionis et foederis rescribatis, circa quae opera pigros uos esse non conuenit, quia nec conuersationi uestrae sancta conscientia nec uber sermo potest deesse conloquiis. 2 praepara. L t? eras . 3 affectum T 4 perueniunt T XI. 7 reuelare L 9 poene optinet B uieces B intercipeturB10umB,etabeentiumPb;absenntium-litte- cipetur B 10 abientem B, et abeentium Pb; absentium — litterarum T in ras . m. 2 11 artifico L scribtione B quocum scripei, quod LPTVb, quos B 12 asserere TYb 14 ne- Ui gligentiae T et sic saepius 15 positis LT, poBsides B tis 8. I. m. rec. (Schotti ?) post lucemj p\' luce B 16 me—quod T in ras . m. 2 17 postolo Y corr. m. 1 18 domini] dum Pb mi scripsi, mihi BLTYb, uichi P efifnauma L, et effusissima B 19 inmemores T mores Mt ras . m. 2 20 pigrus B