For Rich

[Maliclavelli]

Rich, you don’t write a letter from 5 hours. What does it happen? They seemed too many the 20,000 written? Hope you didn’t feel offended by me. It wasn’t my intention. I passed my life to read Martial. Tuscan humour isn’t the English one, but you are the last guy in all forums I would want to have offended. Hope this time not having gained the umpteenth ban. (In Latin this could be perhaps a good epigram).

But Martial wrote also this (I said to a pupil that for this I’d have given all the “Divina Commedia”)

Hanc tibi, Fronto pater, genetrix Flaccilla, puellam
oscula commendo deliciasque meas,
paruola ne nigras horrescat Erotion umbras
oraque Tartarei prodigiosa canis.
Inpletura fuit sextae modo frigora brumae,
uixisset totidem ni minus illa dies.
Inter tam ueteres ludat lasciua patronos
et nomen blaeso garriat ore meum.
Mollia non rigidus caespes tegat ossa nec illi,
terra, grauis fueris: non fuit illa tibi.

tèrra gravìs fuerìs / nòn fuit ìlla tibì

[rms2]

You have not offended me, Gioiello. I have just been terribly busy all day.