Letter 123: (To excuse himself for postponing his acceptance of an invitation.) I reverence your presence, and I delight in your company; although otherwise I counselled myself to remain at home and philosophize in quiet, for I found this of all courses the most profitable for myself. And since the winds are still somewhat rough, and my infirmity has not y...
Gregory to Theodore, declining an invitation.
I honor your presence and delight in your company, though I had otherwise resolved to stay at home and pursue philosophy in quiet. I have found this to be the most profitable course of all: a stillness in which the soul can hear the voice of God without the noise of the world drowning it out.
Forgive me if I postpone my visit. It is not that I value your friendship less, but that I value my solitude more -- at least for the present. When the time is right, I will come. Until then, consider my prayers as a kind of presence.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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