Letter 64

From: Ruricius, bishop of Limoges To: Clarus, bishop Date: ~509 AD Context: A letter of deep gratitude for Clarus's love, with Ruricius confessing his inability to repay the debt even in words, let alone in deeds. Bishop Ruricius to his brother, Bishop Clarus. To your apostolic authority, for the love you show me — not on account of my merits but out of the goodness of your own hearts — I cannot say I am unable to repay you in kind with deeds; I cannot even express in words how much thanks you deserve. And yet I offer through this letter the debt of greeting owed to you.

LXIIII. RURICIUS EPISCOPUS FRATRI CLARO EPISCOPO. Apostolatui uestro pro ea, quam mihi non pro meis meritis, sed pro beniuolentia animorum uestrorum inpenditis, caritate non dicam uicem non possum repensare beneficiis, sed nec tantas gratias, quantas meremini, sermonibus explicare. inpendo tamen per litteras debitum sospitationis officium partemque pectoris mei, in quo affectum uestri auiditate suscepi, paginae conlocutione transmitto simulque deprecor, ut communi domino supplicetis, ut citius nos faciat fructum de nostra capere praesentia, quosque suae inspirationis instinctu conexuit, uultuum etiam mutua uisione coniungat, ut desiderium in nobis, quod accendit affatus, restinguat obtutus. de columnis uero gratias ago et, sicut iussistis, quia modo propter inminentem hiemem uehicula illo dirigere non possum, post sanctum Pascha propitia diuinitate transmittam. de minoribus uero, sicut uerbo mandastis, si inueniri possunt, mihi uel decem necessarias esse significo. sed si dominus prospera uniuersa concesserit, antequam uehicula dirigam, ad uos hominem destinabo.