Letter 6004: My illness — a pain in my right hand — has been compounded by the bitter news you've sent.
Aegritudinem meam, quam dexterae manus dolore sustineo, nuntiorum acerbitate
duplicastis. acrior antem me cnra distringit, quod scio filiae meae cibomm et po-
tuum continentiam non posse snaderi. anxius igitnr vulnere animi et corporis morbo
30 nsque ad subscribendi possibilitatem litteras differre non potui, sed dictatione prope-
rata magis soUicitudini meae quam consuetudini satisfeci. et primo, ut timorem meum
responsis levetis, exoro; dehinc te, domina filia, precor, ut saluti adversa declines et
interpellatam totiens valetudinem repares auxilio temperantia^. quia non solum sani-
tati commodat, vemm etiam ad testimonium pmdentiae pertinet noxiis abstinere. vale.
2 iuuat V
moue// P subdit^ numeratione P l m. 12 inucem P 1 m,
taasisuperlor F 21 dicitur P l m. VF 22 dono eorr. tx damno P 8im//8i P 24 /ego-
tlo P quantam P2 m.
Q. ▲TEILrTS Stmmachvs. 20
1 54 SYMMACHI EPISTVLAE
V.
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Niceas, the subdeacon, had accompanied Jerome to the East but had now returned home. In after-years he became bishop of Aquileia in succession to Chromatius. The date of the letter is 374 A.D.