Delphi Complete Works of Sidonius Apollinaris, page 104
[3] I did my best to compose this matter; a friendship of long standing gave me an old claim to be heard, and my sacred calling a new one; I let them know what I thought; I used persuasion where I could, and entreaty at every turn. You may be surprised to learn that throughout the woman and not the man was the first to accept suggestions for agreement. And though the father boasts that in his paternal quality he is in the best position to serve his daughter’s interests, the daughter herself prefers her mother-in-law’s most generous proposals.
[4] iurgium interim semisopitum vestris modo sinibus infertur, pacificate certantes, et pontificalis auctoritate censurae suspectis sibi partibus indicite gratiam, dicite veritatem, sancta enim Eutropia, si quid vadimonio meo creditis, victoriam computat, si vel post damna non litiget. unde et suspicor vobis unam pronuntiandam domum discordiosam, licet inveniatis utramque discordem, memor nostri esse dignare, domine para.
[4] The dispute, only half appeased, is now to be carried before you. Pacify the adversaries by your episcopal authority, show their suspicious souls the truth, and bring about a reconciliation. You may take my word for it that the holy Eutropia will count it almost victory if even at the cost of heavy sacrifices she can escape from litigation. Though two families are parties to the quarrel, I fancy you will soon decide which of them deserves the name of quarrelsome. Deign to hold me in remembrance, my Lord Bishop.
Sidonius Domino Papae Leontio salutem
III.
To the Lord Bishop Leontius A. D. 472
[1] Etsi nullis hortatibus 1 primordia nostrae pro-fessionis animatis neque sitim ignorantiae hactenus saecularis ullo supernae rigatis imbre doctrinae, non ego tamen tantum mei memineris non sum, ut a meis ac tuis 2 praesumam partibus aequali officiorum lance certandum, nam cum nostra mediocritas aetate vitae, tempore dignitatis, privilegio loci, laude scientiae, dono conscientiae vestrae facile vincatur, nullum meremur, si par expectamus alloquium.
[1] You have not yet seen fit to encourage my first steps in our sacred profession, or to pour the rain of heavenly doctrine on the drought of my worldly ignorance; but I do not so far forget myself as to expect an equipoise in the courtesies which we render to each other. I am of small account; you are easily above me in years, in seniority, in the precedence enjoyed by your see, in your wide learning, in the treasure of your righteousness; if I expected you to notice every letter, I should deserve no notice at all.
[2] igitur non incusantes silentium vestrum sed loquacitatem nostram potius excusare nitentes commendamus apicum portitorem, cuius si peregrinationem prompto favore foveatis, grandis actionibus illius portus securitatis aperitur, negotium huic testamentarium est. latent eum propriarum merita chartarum: togatorum illic perorantum peritiam consulere perrexit, pro victoria computaturus, si se intellexerit iure superari, modo ne sibi suisque desidiae vitio perperam cavisse culpetur. hunc eatenus commendare praesumo, ut, si eum instruere dignanter advocatio consulta fastidit, auctoritas coronae tuae dissimulantibus studeat excudere responsi celeritatem, memor nostri esse dignare, domine papa.
[2] I therefore make no imputation against your silence; these lines merely introduce the bearer, and give me the excuse for sending them. If on this journey he can only have the assurance of your prompt favour, a broad harbour of safety will be open to his affairs. His business relates to a will. He does not know the importance of his own documents; the object of his expedition is to get the advice of skilled counsel. He will think it the next best thing to winning his case if it is proved to be lost on its merits; his one desire is to avoid the charge of negligence, and of not sufficiently protecting family interests. My request on his behalf is simply this, that if the lawyers will not deign to give him proper advice, you should exert the authority of your sacred office to extract it from them without delay. Deign to keep me in remembrance, my Lord Bishop.
Sidonius Domino Papae Lupo salutem
IV.
To the Lord Bishop Lupus c. A. D. 472
[1] Praeter officium, quod incomparabiliter eminenti apostolatui tuo sine fine debetur, etsi absque intermissione solvatur, commendo supplicum baiulorum pro nova necessitudine vetustam necessitatem,1 qui in Arvernam regionem longum iter, his quippe temporibus, emensi casso labore venerunt, namque unam feminam de affectibus suis, quam forte Vargorum (hoc enim nomine indigenas latrunculos nuncupant) superventus abstraxerat, isto deductam ante aliquot annos isticque distractam cum non falso indicio comperissent, certis quidem signis sed non recentibus inquisivere vestigiis.
[1] I RENDER you the observance always due to the incomparable eminence of your apostolic life, still always due, however regularly paid. But I have a further object, to commend to your notice a long-standing trouble of the bearers, in whose case I have recently become interested. They have journeyed a great distance into Auvergne at this unfavourable season, and the journey has been undertaken in vain. A female relative of theirs was carried off during a raid of the Vargi, as the local bandits are styled. They received trustworthy information, and following an old but reliable clue, discovered that some years ago she had been brought here before being removed elsewhere.
[2] atque obiter haec eadem laboriosa, priusquam hi adessent, in negotiatoris nostri domo dominioque palam sane venumdata defungitur, quodam Prudente (hoc viro nomen), quem nunc Tricassibus degere fama divulgat, ignotorum nobis hominum collaudante contractum;1 cuius subscriptio intra formulam nundinarum tamquam idonei adstipulatoris ostenditur. auctoritas personae, opportunitas praesentiae tuae inter coram positos facile valebit, si dignabitur, senem totius indagare violentiae, quae, quod gravius est, eo facinoris accessit, quantum portitorum datur nosse memoratu, ut etiam in illo latrocinio quendam de numero viantum constet extinctum.
[2] As a matter of fact, the unfortunate woman had been sold in open market before their arrival, and is now actually under the roof and the control of my man of affairs. A certain Prudens, rumoured to be now resident in Troyes, had attested the contract for the vendors, whose names are unknown to us; his signature is to be seen on the deed of purchase as that of a suitable witness of the transaction. By the fortunate fact of your presence, you will be able, if you think fit, to see the parties confronted, and use your personal influence to investigate the whole course of the outrage. I gather from what the bearers say, that the offence is aggravated by the death of a man upon the road as a sequel to the abduction.
[3] sed quia iudicii vestri medicinam expetunt civilitatemque, qui negotium criminale parturiunt, vestrarum, si bene metior, partium pariter et morum est, aliqua indemni compositione istorum dolori, illorum periculo subvenire et quodam salubris sententiae temperamento hanc partem minus afflictam, illam minus ream et utramque plus facere securam; ne iurgii status, ut sese fert temporis locique qualitas, 1 talem descendat 2 ad terminum, quale coepit habere principium, memor nostri esse dignare, domine papa.
[3] But as the aggrieved parties who wish to bring this scandalous affair to light are anxious for the remedy of your judgement and for your neighbourly aid, it seems to me that it would no less become your character than your position to bring about an equitable arrangement, thus affording the one side some comfort in affliction, and saving the other from an impending danger. Such a qualified decision would be most beneficial to all concerned; it would diminish the misery of one party and the guilt of the other, while it would give both of them a greater feeling of security. Otherwise, in regions and times like these of ours, the last state of the dispute may well prove no better than the beginning. Deign to keep me in remembrance, my Lord Bishop.
Sidonius Domino Papae Theoplasto salutem
Causam meam nesciens agit qui ad vos a me litteras portat; nam, dum votivi mihi fit genitus opportunus officii, beneficium praestat, quod se arbitratur accipere, sicuti nunc venerabilis Donidius dignus inter spectatissimos quosque numerari, cuius clientem puerosque commendo, profectos seu in patroni necessitate seu in domini, laborem peregrinantum qua potestis ope humanitate intercessione tutamini; ac, si in aliquo amicus ipse per imperitiam novitatemque publicae conversationis videbitur minus efficax, vos hoc potius aspicite, quid absentis causa, non quid praesentis persona mereatur. memor nostri esse dignare, domine papa,
V.
To the Lord Bishop Theoplastus (No indication of date)
WHOEVER bears a letter of introduction from me to you unconsciously does my business; by conveying my dutiful regards at the proper moment, he renders me a service at least as great as that which he considers himself to receive. This is the case with the venerable Donidius, who is deservedly to be numbered among the most admirable of mankind. I now recommend to you his client and servants, who have undertaken this journey for the benefit of their patron and master. Pray take the weary travellers under your protection; do all you can to help them by your support, your hospitality, and your intercession. And if our good friend, through inexperience and unfamiliarity with public affairs, should in any matter betray his inefficiency, consider the cause of an absent man, rather than the personality of his representative. Deign to hold me in remembrance, my Lord Bishop.
Sidonius Domino Papae Eutropio salutem
VI.
To the Lord Bishop Eutropius A. D. 472
[1] Postquam foedifragam gentem redisse in sedes suas comperi neque quicquam viantibus insidiarum parare, nefas credidi ulterius officiorum 1 differre sermonem, ne vester affectus quandam vitio meo duceret ut gladius inpolitus de curae raritate robiginem. unde misso in hoc solum negotii gerulo litterarum, quam vobis sit corpusculi status in solido quamve ex animi sententia res agantur, sollicitus inquiro, sperans, ne semel mihi amor vester indultus aut interiecti itineris longitudine aut absentiae com- munis diuturnitate tenuetur, quia bonitas conditoris habitationem potius hominum quam caritatem frnalibus claudit angustiis.
[1] As soon as I learned that the treaty-breaking nation had withdrawn within its borders, and that travellers were in no further danger of insidious attack, I held it a disgrace to delay the presentation of my respects, for fear your friendship might grow rusty from my neglect, like a sword which is not properly kept bright. My sole object in sending this letter is to satisfy my anxiety as to your health and the success of your affairs; it is my hope that neither the distance which divides us nor the long intervals between our meetings may ever diminish the friendship once accorded me; it is the homes of men which the Creator confines within narrow limits, not their mutual affections.
[2] restat, ut vestra beatitudo conpunctorii salubritate sermonis avidam nostrae ignorantiae pascat esuriem. est enim tibi nimis usui, ut exhortationibus tuis interioris hominis maciem saepenumero mysticus adeps et spiritalis arvina distendat. memor nostri esse dignare, domine papa.
[2] And now I hope your Beatitude will feed my starving ignorance with sharp and salutary discourse; your exhortations have a way of causing mystic increase and spiritual growth in the emaciated inward man. Deign to hold me in your remembrance, my Lord Bishop.
Sidonius Domino Papae Fonteio salutem
VII.
To the Lord Bishop Fonteius A. D. 472
[1] Si aliquid ad inchoandam gratiam compendii posteris tribuit necessitudo praemissa seniorum, ego quoque ad apostolatus tui notitiam pleniorem cum praerogativa domesticae familiaritatis accedo, nam sic te familiae meae validissimum in Christo semper patronum fuisse reminiscor, ut amicitias tuas non tam expetendas mihi quam repetendas putem, his adicitur, quod indignissimo mihi impositum sacerdotalis nomen officii confligere me ad precum vestrarum praesidia compellit, ut adhuc ulcerosae conscientiae nimis hiulca vulnera vestro saltim cicatricentur oratu.
[1] IF a previous friendship between the older members of two families helps the younger in their turn to know each other better, then indeed by virtue of such preexisting ties I enjoy a great advantage in now seeking your Lordship’s more intimate acquaintance. I well remember how powerful a patron in Christ you always were to my family, so that I regard myself less as making a new acquaintance, than as renewing an old one. I will add that the title of bishop imposed on my extreme unworthiness compels me to seek the covert of your intercession, that the gaping wounds of a seared conscience may at least be closed by your healing prayers.
[2] quapropter me meosque commendans et excusans litteras seriores granditer obsecro, ut intercessione consueta, cuius viribus immane polletis, clericalis tirocinii in nobis reptantia rudimenta tueamini, ut, si quid dignabitur de morum pravitate nostrorum immutabilis dei mutare clementia, totum id suffragiorum vestrorum patrocinio debeamus, memor nostri esse dignare, domine papa.
[2] While, therefore, I commend to you myself and those who are dear to me, at the same time apologizing for not writing sooner, I implore you to sustain my first steps as a novice in this office by those availing supplications for which you are so widely renowned. So shall I owe all to your mediation, if the immutable mercy of God deign but to change the wickedness of this heart of mine. Deign to hold me in remembrance, my Lord Bishop.
Sidonius Domino Papae Graeco salutem
VIII.
To the Lord Bishop Graecus c. A. D. 472
[1] Apicum oblator pauperem vitam sola mercandi actione sustentat; non illi est opificium quaestui, militia commodo, cultura compendio; ob 1 hoc ipsum, quod mercennariis prosecutionibus et locaticia fatigatione cognoscitur, fama quidem sua sed facultas crescit aliena, sed tamen quoniam illi fides magna est, etsi parva substantia, quotiens cum pecuniis quorumpiam catapli recentis nundinas adit, creditoribus bene credulis sola deponit morum experimenta pro pignore.
[1] THE bearer of this is one who ekes out a bare living by commerce; he gains no profit or other advantage from any handicraft or employment, nor does he make anything from the cultivation of land. He has come to be favourably known as an agent and trader; but a good name is all he gets; the pecuniary advantage goes to others. Though his means are small, the general confidence in him is so great that if he wants to raise money for the purchase of a cargo, people are confiding enough to trust him on no greater security than their experience of his good faith.
[2] inter dictandum mihi ista suggesta sunt, nec ob hoc dubito audita fidenter asserere, quia non parum mihi intumos agunt 2 quibus est ipse satis intumus. huius igitur teneram frontem, dura rudimenta commendo; et, quia nomen eiusdem lectorum nuper albus accepit, agnoscitis profecturo civi me epistulam, clerico debuisse formatam; quem propediem non iniuria reor mercatorem splendidum fore, si hinc ad vestra obsequia festinans frigoribus fontium civicorum sapientiae fontem meracioris 1 anteferat. memor nostri esse dignare, domine papa.
[2] It is true that I only learned these facts while actually writing these lines, but that does not make me hesitate to assert them with some assurance, for the sources of the information are common acquaintances of his and mine. I recommend him to you, then, on the ground of his youth and the arduous life he has led. As his name is now entered in the roll as Reader, you will see that I have had to give him in addition to an ordinary introduction as citizen, a canonical letter as a clerk. I think I am right in looking forward to his brilliant success as a merchant if he is quick to take advantage of your patronage; but he must definitely prefer the fount of commerce to the icy springs of a municipal career.* Deign to hold me in remembrance, my Lord Bishop.
* The passage is corrupt.
Sidonius Domino Papae Lupo salutem
IX.
To the Lord Bishop Lupus c. A. D. 472
[1] Vir iam honestus Gallus, quia iussus ad coniugem redire non distulit, litterarum mearum obsequium, vestrarum reportat effectum, cui cum pagina, quam miseratis, reseraretur, actutum compunctus ingemuit destinatamque non ad me epistulam sed in se sententiam iudicavit, itaque confestim iter in patriam spopondit adornavit arripuit, quem nos propter hanc ipsam paenitudinis celeritatem non increparive sed consolatorie potius compellare cura-vimus, quia vicinaretur innocentiae festinata correctio.
[1] THE bearer Gallus, made an honest man by returning at once to his wife as he was bidden, conveys my greeting in this letter, and by doing so proves the efficacy of your own. For when I opened your missive in his presence, he was seized with instant compunction, and saw in it not so much a communication for me as a condemnation of himself. The result was that he immediately promised to go back, made his preparations at once, and was off without delay. At sight of so rapid a repentance, I could not confine myself altogether to rebuke; I gave him a few words of consolation, for so spontaneous an amendment is the next best thing to unbroken innocence.
[2] neque enim quisquam etiam sibi bene conscius plus facere praesumpsit, si quis tamen vestrae correptionis orbitarn non reliquit, quippe cum ea ipsa, quae legimus, parcentis verba censurae maxuma 1 emendationis incitamenta sint.2 nam quid potest esse castigationis huiusce tenore pretiosius, in qua forte peccato animus aeger repperit intrinsecus remedium, cum non valeret extrinsecus invenire convicium?
[2] A man with a perfect conscience could hardly have done more, always supposing him to keep within the range of your admonishment; for even such words of gentle censure as I read out to him are in themselves a most powerful incentive to reform. What, indeed, could be more valuable than a reprimand aiding the sick mind to discover within itself a remedy which the sharp reproach of others could never find?
[3] quod superest, obsecramus, ut crebra oratione, per quam vitiis omnibus immane dominamini, nos quoque, sicut euangelicos magos remeasse manifestum est, vel iam nunc per aliam viam morum in beatorum patriam redire faciatis, paene omiseram, quod minime praetereundum fuit: agite gratias Innocentio, spectabili viro, qui, ut praeceperatis, naviter morem gessit iniunctis. memor nostri esse dignare, domine papa.
[3] It remains for me to ask a place in those frequent prayers by which you so mightily triumph over every kind of vice; that as the Wise Men of the Gospel returned to their own country by a different way, so by a new way of life you may lead me home to the land of the blessed. I had almost forgotten to mention the point which I could least have afforded to omit. Convey my thanks to the respected Innocentius for so promptly obeying your injunctions. Deign to hold me in remembrance, my Lord Bishop.
