Quintus Aurelius Symmachus → destinatário desconhecido
Tradução moderna em inglês
Is this really my luck — that everywhere I turn, there's something that needs rebuilding? Right now it's the restoration of the praetorium at Capua [the governor's residence] that's driving me into heavy expense. Part of it is falling apart from neglect; part was patched up so carelessly some time ago that it barely holds together as a dwelling.
If we don't address this quickly, the costs will only pile up later — or the whole thing will come down. Because anyone who puts off this kind of work ends up losing it entirely. So I'm determined to cure the building of its old age.
And that means the leisure I was looking forward to — the leisure I'd been longing for — will have to be spent on construction rather than rest.
Texto latino / grego
Hanccine mihi esse fortunam, ut quoquo versum pedem gradumque contulero, exaedificandum aliquid oflferatnr ? velut me nunc Capuani praetorii instauratio in graves cogit expensas, cuius pars fatiscit incuria, pars neglegenti dudum celeritate reparata imbecillum praestat habitaculum. his nisi properata cura subvenerit, aut pecuniae 30 postea dispendium cumulabitur aut minae. nam quis(iuis haec opera intermittit. amittit. quare animus est amoliri aedium senectutem. ita desiderato et expetito otio 21 Verg. Aen. VI 688. supernam gutturi VF^ 6 media incoquit Htituiw 7 ima] /W, una V 8 uagae sorores Heinsius ebrins mentis] -T, om, 3f, mentis om, V ideo] VFM^ adeo 0 15 litteraturam] V0M, literarum F 17 potl undique F 25 ab hac epittula ineipit apographum codicis P in II Patri Symmachus] [II) , om, VM 26 quo- queuersum V contulero] V[r]^ tulero M^ contulerim [II) 27 exodiflcandum /7 praetarii // 28 cogit] VrM^ coegit (/7) 29 imbecillum] VFM, indecorum (//) 31 amoliri] (//), amoueri VM odium n- ita a desiderato Mommicn 8 SYMMACHI EPISTVLAE