Ep. 46.1Librum tuum, quem mihi prōmīserās, accēpī et tamquam lēctūrus ex commodō adaperuī ac tantum dēgustāre voluī.I have received the book of yours which you had promised me, and I opened it as if I meant to read it at my leisure, and wished only to taste it. Ep. 46.1Deinde blandītus est ipse, ut prōcēderem longius.Then the book itself coaxed me to go further. Ep. 46.1Quī quam disertus fuerit, ex hōc intellegās licet;How eloquent it was you may understand from this: Ep. 46.1levis mihi vīsus est, cum esset nec meī nec tuī corporis, sed quī prīmō aspectū aut Titī Līviī aut Epicūrī posset vidērī.it seemed light to me, although it was of the bulk neither of my body nor of yours, but such as might at first sight seem to be by Livy or by Epicurus. Ep. 46.1Tantā autem dulcēdine mē tenuit et trāxit, ut illum sine ūllā dīlātiōne perlēgerim.And it held me and drew me on with such sweetness that I read it through without any break. Ep. 46.1Sōl mē invītābat, famēs admonēbat, nūbēs minābantur;The sun was inviting me out, hunger was warning me, clouds were threatening; Ep. 46.1tamen exhausī tōtum.still, I drained the whole of it.
Ep. 46.2Nōn tantum dēlectātus, sed gāvīsus sum.I was not merely delighted but filled with joy. Ep. 46.2Quid ingeniī iste habuit, quid animī!What talent it had, what spirit! Ep. 46.2Dīcerem, quid inpetūs, sī interquiēvisset, sī ex intervallō surrēxisset;I would say 'what dash', if it had paused now and then, if it had risen after an interval; Ep. 46.2nunc nōn fuit inpetus, sed tenor, conpositiō virīlis et sāncta;as it is, there was not dash but a steady flow, a style manly and pure; Ep. 46.2Nihilōminus interveniēbat dulce illud et locō lēne.nonetheless there came in from time to time that sweetness of yours, gentle in its place. Ep. 46.2Grandis, ērēctus es;You are lofty, you are upright; Ep. 46.2hoc tē volō tenēre, sīc īre.I want you to hold to this and to go on in this way. Ep. 46.2Fēcit aliquid et māteria;The subject too did something; Ep. 46.2ideō ēligenda est fertilis, quae capiat ingenium, quae incitet.for this reason one should choose a fertile one, which may take hold of the talent and spur it on.
Ep. 46.3Dē librō plūra scrībam cum illum retractāverō;I shall write more about the book when I have gone over it again; Ep. 46.3nunc parum mihi sedet iūdicium, tamquam audierim illa, nōn lēgerim.as it is, my judgement is not settled enough, as though I had heard these things, not read them. Ep. 46.3Sine mē et inquīrere.Allow me to examine it too. Ep. 46.3Nōn est quod vereāris;There is no reason for you to be afraid; Ep. 46.3vērum audiēs.you will hear the truth. Ep. 46.3Ō tē hominem fēlīcem, quod nihil habēs, propter quod quisquam tibi tam longē mentiātur!What a fortunate man you are, to have nothing for which anyone would lie to you from so far away! Ep. 46.3Nisi quod iam etiam ubi causa sublāta est, mentīmur cōnsuētūdinis causā.Except that nowadays, even when the reason has been removed, we lie for the sake of habit. Ep. 46.3Valē.Farewell.