To Clematius.
You promised to let me know what state you found your household in, and yet you have written nothing. Surely, whether things remain as they were or have improved, you ought not to leave me in the dark. I would either have shared your joy or added my prayers to yours.
But that is you all over, I think -- lazy about sending letters, relentless about demanding them. Generous with gifts, yet the slowest man alive when it comes to accepting them.
In any case, do write. And expect to see Spectatus very soon. Travel with him, for the gods' sake, to Italy, so that things may go better for you -- and through you, for us as well.
You promised to let me know what state you found your household in, and yet you have written nothing. Surely, whether things remain as they were or have improved, you ought not to leave me in the dark. I would either have shared your joy or added my prayers to yours.
But that is you all over, I think -- lazy about sending letters, relentless about demanding them. Generous with gifts, yet the slowest man alive when it comes to accepting them.
In any case, do write. And expect to see Spectatus very soon. Travel with him, for the gods' sake, to Italy, so that things may go better for you -- and through you, for us as well.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.