Letter 80: Macedonius is one of my closest friends and has been for a long time.
**To Magnus** (359)
Macedonius is among my closest friends, having lived in my company for no small time. Yet he could win anyone's friendship the moment they meet him, after only a brief conversation — so powerful is the charm he possesses in his character.
Now, if he were coming before you as a litigant, I would be utterly foolish to dare write to you on his behalf, since you would never value a friend's letter above the laws. But since he desires only to be known to you, I ask this favor with confidence. For just as you do not know how to grant every request, so too you do not shrink from granting favors in every case where you rightly may.
Related Letters
Your insult did not go unnoticed, my dear Magnus -- though you certainly hoped it would.
The excommunication placed upon you by the late Bishop Laurentius has been examined, and I have determined that it...
With your characteristic care and devotion, dearest son, you have consulted me about whether those who come from...
As long as your goodwill toward us keeps growing, we'll keep needing to write to you about our friends.
I don't abandon friends when they're in trouble, the way most people do.