Ep. 9.39.1Haruspicum monitū reficienda est mihi aedēs Cereris in praediīs in melius et in maius, vetus sānē et angusta, cum sit aliōquī statō diē frequentissima.On the advice of the soothsayers I must rebuild the temple of Ceres on my estate, making it better and larger, since it is certainly old and cramped, though on its fixed day it is extremely crowded. Ep. 9.39.2Nam Īdibus Septembribus magnus ē regiōne tōtā coit populus, multae rēs aguntur, multa vōta suscipiuntur, multa redduntur;For on the Ides of September a great crowd gathers from the whole region, much business is done, many vows are taken and many fulfilled; Ep. 9.39.2sed nūllum in proximō suffugium aut imbris aut sōlis.but there is no shelter nearby from either rain or sun. Ep. 9.39.3Videor ergō mūnificē simul religiōsēque factūrus, sī aedem quam pulcherrimam exstruerō, addiderō porticūs aedī, illam ad ūsum deae hās ad hominum.So I think I shall be acting both generously and piously if I build the temple as beautifully as possible and add colonnades to it, the temple for the use of the goddess, the colonnades for that of men.
Ep. 9.39.4Velim ergō emās quattuor marmoreās columnās, cuius tibi vidēbitur generis, emās marmora quibus sōlum, quibus parietēs excolantur.So I should like you to buy four marble columns, of whatever kind you think fit, and to buy marble with which to adorn the floor and the walls. Ep. 9.39.4Erit etiam faciendum ipsīus deae signum, quia antīquum illud ē lignō quibusdam suī partibus vetustāte truncātum est.A statue of the goddess herself will also have to be made, because the old wooden one has lost some of its parts through age. Ep. 9.39.5Quantum ad porticūs, nihil interim occurrit, quod videātur istinc esse repetendum, nisi tamen ut fōrmam secundum ratiōnem locī scrībās.As for the colonnades, nothing occurs to me for the moment that seems to need fetching from where you are, unless you would draw up a plan to suit the site. Ep. 9.39.5Neque enim possunt circumdarī templa: nam sōlum templī hinc flūmine et abruptissimīs rīpīs, hinc viā cingitur.For they cannot be built around the temple: the temple ground is bounded on one side by a river with very steep banks, on the other by a road.
Ep. 9.39.6Est ultrā viam lātissimum prātum, in quō satis aptē contrā templum ipsum porticūs explicābuntur;Beyond the road there is a very wide meadow, in which the colonnades can be laid out quite suitably facing the temple itself; Ep. 9.39.6nisi quid tū melius inveniēs, quī solēs locōrum difficultātēs arte superāre.unless you find something better, you who are used to overcoming the difficulties of a site by your skill. Ep. 9.39.6Valē.Farewell.