Quintus Aurelius Symmachus → destinatário desconhecido
Tradução moderna em inglês
I was living at my suburban estate, which lies beside the Appian Way, when your letter was delivered to me by a courier sent for this purpose. You know the property I mean -- where I have built a large house on a small plot of land. Here I was enjoying a sweet period of leisure -- if anything can truly be sweet without your company -- when I was briefly interrupted. But the interruption came in the form of your letter, which was better than any leisure. I have written back to you at once, reluctant to allow even a day to pass between your kindness and my reply.
Texto latino / grego
Suburbanum praedium, quod viae Appiae adiacet, incolebam, cum mihi litteras tuas in hoc missus exhibuit. nosd rura, quae loquimur, ubi magnas aedes in an- 5 gustis finibus conlocavi. hie dulce otium — si quid afc^que te dulce est — paulisper exe^mus. nunc Vestalis festi gratia domum repeto incertus, maneamne cum civibus, an rursus in vicina concedam. tu quid agere decemas — nam certe iusto diutius 2 afuisti — , debeo cognoscere. vocat enim te in curiam nostram diis auctoribus quam- primum candidati mei designatio, cui supra omnes omamento eris, qui nos vel ad- 10 finitatis vel amicitiae officiis prosequentur. LX (LVIIII) ante a. 395.