Letter 259
To Crispinus. (361)
My occupation is still rhetoric, as before, but the pleasures are nothing like they were. Having lost so many friends and relatives of such quality, grief prevails and joy comes from nowhere. If I were not deeply ashamed, I would beg the Muses' pardon for leaving my post and go off to work the land.
But let these things go wherever God wills. As for my writings, some you have and some you do not have but are looking for. You need to tell me which ones you already possess -- that way you will teach me what I need to send. There is no point in our copyists wearing themselves out for nothing. Just let me know, and you will find Theophilus efficient and me eager to oblige you.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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