Letter 4008: A certain sense of propriety held me back from writing first.
Observatio quaedam me hacasque cohibebat, ne litteras primus emitterem. hunc
enim morem quaedam institutio vetusta constituit, ut eorum ante recurrat adfatus,
quos a proprio lare peregrinatio longa disterminat. ago igitur atque habeo uberes
gratias, quod et te languore discusso rectius valere cognovi, et mihi ad scribendum
2 tanuam quodammodo intellego esse reseratam. pro qua re meliores tibi opto processus.
nam etsi secundum mores ac natales tuos honorum culmen indeptus es, necdum tamen
perfectum praemium debitamque mercedem tibi fortuna restituit, quae etsi in te magna
contulerit, numquam tamen aequabit meritum tuum. nunc redeo ad verba sollemnia,
quibus tibi salutationis officium de more persolvens mutnum munus exposco. intelle-
gis enim vicissitudine scribentium animos incitari.
5
XXUn ante a. 395.
AD PROTADIVM.
Extant in monumentis Sallustianis Africani litterae, quas Ingurtha post excidium
Numantinum testes ad Micipsam decoris sui pertulit. has ego in praesentia fratris
nostri Florentini nomine ad verbum mandandas paginis puto, quia ut ambo in negotiis
2 suis pari gloria splenduerunt, ita utriusque virtuti idem testimonii honor congruit. et
illum quidem Scipio regi Numidae volens reddidit: nos inviti tanto omamento tibi
cedimus. fatendum quippe est, in gratiam tuam factum, ut hunc abire pateremur.
de me, si quid pro amicitia postnlas edoceri, erit quaesitorum index, qui rerum mearum
arbiter fuit. tantum epistnlae meae crede, quod valeam tuique diligentiam colam,
quam mihi de te invicem fides aemula pollicetur.
10
15
20
XXV.
PVMF AD PROTADIVM. 25
Desideravi litteras tuas adventantibus multis, quos mihi sermonem tuum prae-
sumpseram tradituros. sed ubi expectationem meam spes ista frustrata est, ultro te
adloqui studui, ut te exemplo officii ad curam similem provocarem. quaeso igitur, ne
amicitiae munia frigere patiaris, quae inpatienter requiro, iicet noverim diligentiam
circa me tuam, etiam cum scripti abstinens sis, fido animo contineri. so
15 SaU. lug. 9.
num V 8 ac] et VM adeptus V 9 tibi] Af, tua PV 10 soUemnia (nia <n raa, 2 m.) P
Related Letters
It is, I think, more needful for me to defend myself for not having begun to write to you long ago, than to offer any excuse for beginning now. I am that same man who always used to run up whenever you put in an appearance, and who listened with the greatest delight to the stream of your eloquence; rejoicing to hear you; with difficulty tearing ...
(The following letter is sometimes attributed to Basil, and is found in his works as well as in those of Gregory. The mss. however, with only a single exception, give it to the latter.) You give me pleasure both by writing and remembering me, and a much greater pleasure by sending me your blessing in your letter.
I have heard of your loss, and I grieve with you.
Make haste, Arsacius, to meet the enemy's battle line.
The oration , which contains some account of your glorious actions, you honour not only with praise but admiration.