Letter 37

From: Ennodius, bishop of Pavia To: John Date: ~521 AD Context: A letter testing whether the friendship is as real as it was claimed to be. Ennodius to John. So it turns out that the friendship we professed was false — or at least, your silence suggests as much. I write to challenge the suggestion. If the bond was real, prove it with a letter. If it was not, at least let me know, so I can stop wasting paper. I prefer to believe the former. Prove me right. Farewell.

XXXVII. ENNODIVS IOHANNI. Ergo falso creditur amorem reddi diligentiae et tacitis animas se interrogare colloquiis, fidem mentium sensus adserere, ut quod inpendimus uicaria nobis relatione debeatur? uocem montium secreta restituunt et in obsequio humanitatis muta fabulantur: sed magnitudinem tuam in contemptu mei contigit silentium pro scriptione redhibere et in astipulatione artificis genii temperando a paginis pertinaciam garrulitatis obprimere naturae lege calcata. facessat a moribus meis sequi quod admissum doleo et subleuare culpas imitando. ecce iterum 8 Iac. 5, 16 XXXVI. 2 presbitero B 3 religionis b 5 postolare B 9 qaod drb B (um s. I. m. rec.), quoddam b obtinere T 10 dudum mihi T 12 sanctum] secundum b dominum di B (dominum 8. I . m. rec.), dominum b 14 postolanda B 15 domine B b XXXVII. 19 amatorem B \'20 adsereret b 21 debetur T1 23 famulantur LTV 24 redibere BLTV, reddere b et B m. rec. 8. l . 26 nature B 27 imittando T, emittendo B, euitando b et B s. I. tn. rec . appello linguae ferias fouentem et in longioribus persequor, habens promissae caritatis memoriam. domine, ut supra salutationem largissimam offerens quaeso, ut debitum gratiae uel nunc exigat inportunitas, dum prouidetur, quatenus ardorem desiderii prolixis satietis alloquiis.