Ep. 5.21.1Variē mē affēcērunt litterae tuae;Your letter affected me in different ways; Ep. 5.21.1nam partim laeta partim trīstia continēbant: laeta quod tē in urbe tenērī nūntiābant - "nōllem" inquis;for it contained partly happy news, partly sad: happy, in that it told me you were kept in the city — 'I wish I were not,' you say; Ep. 5.21.1sed ego volō -, praetereā quod recitātūrum statim ut vēnissem pollicēbantur;but I do wish it — and besides that it promised you would give a recitation as soon as I had arrived; Ep. 5.21.1agō grātiās quod exspector.I thank you for waiting for me. Ep. 5.21.2Trīste illud, quod Iūlius Valēns graviter iacet;The sad news is that Julius Valens is gravely ill; Ep. 5.21.2quamquam nē hoc quidem trīste, sī illīus ūtilitātibus aestimētur, cuius interest quam mātūrissimē inexplicābilī morbō līberārī.though not even this is sad, if it is judged by his own interests, for it is to his advantage to be freed as soon as possible from an incurable disease. Ep. 5.21.3Illud plānē nōn trīste sōlum vērum etiam lūctuōsum, quod Iūlius Avītus dēcessit dum ex quaestūrā redit, dēcessit in nāve, procul ā frātre amantissimō, procul ā mātre ā sorōribus - nihil ista ad mortuum pertinent, sed pertinuērunt cum morerētur, pertinent ad hōs quī supersunt -;What is clearly not only sad but grievous is that Julius Avitus has died while returning from his quaestorship, died on board ship, far from a most loving brother, far from his mother and his sisters — these things mean nothing to the dead, but they meant something while he was dying, and they mean something to those who survive —; Ep. 5.21.4iam quod in flōre prīmō tantae indolis iuvenis exstīnctus est summa cōnsecūtūrus, sī virtūtēs eius mātūruissent.and then that a young man of such great promise has been snuffed out in his first bloom, who would have reached the highest things, had his virtues come to maturity.
Ep. 5.21.5Quō ille studiōrum amōre flagrābat!How he burned with love of study! Ep. 5.21.5quantum lēgit, quantum etiam scrīpsit!how much he read, how much he even wrote! Ep. 5.21.5quae nunc omnia cum ipsō sine frūctū posteritātis abiērunt.all of which has now perished with him, without benefit to posterity. Ep. 5.21.6Sed quid ego indulgeō dolōrī?But why do I give way to grief? Ep. 5.21.6Cui sī frēnōs remittās, nūlla māteria nōn maxima est.If you slacken the reins on it, there is no matter that is not of the greatest weight. Ep. 5.21.6Fīnem epistulae faciam, ut facere possim etiam lacrimīs quās epistula expressit.I shall end my letter, so that I may also be able to end the tears which the letter has drawn from me. Ep. 5.21.6Valē.Farewell.