St. Augustine
necessarium non esse arbitratus sum: et eius causae differat audientiam, quoniam nescio utrum in ea nocens an innocens sit, et, quod circa eundem leges non servatae sunt, ut sic raperetur neque, ut ab imperatore praeceptum est, ad acta municipalia perduceretur interrogandus utrum beneficium dilationis vellet accipere, non contemnat, ut per hoc possimus cum eius adversario rem finire.
1In primis peto caritatem vestram et per Iesum obsecro, ne vos mea contristet absentia corporalis. Nam spiritu et cordis affectu puto vos non dubitare nullo modo me a vobis posse discedere, quamvis me amplius contristet quam forte vos ipsos, quod infirmitas mea sufficere non potest omnibus curis quas de me exigunt membra Christi, quibus me et timor eius et caritas servire compellit. Illud enim noverit vestra dilectio numquam me absentem fuisse licentiosa libertate sed necessaria servitute, quae saepe sanctos fratres et collegas meos etiam labores marinos
Letters of St. Augustine
of the same case; and let him postpone the hearing of his case, since I do not know whether he is innocent or guilty. And let him not make light of the fact that in dealing with him the legal procedure was not observed, in that he was seized and abducted and was not taken, as the Emperor enjoined, before the municipal court to be questioned whether he wished to avail himself of the concession of delay. In this way we may be able to reach a settlement with his opponent.
I particularly beg you, my friends, and beseech1 you for Jesus’ sake, not to be grieved that I am absent from you in the body, for I believe you are confident that in no wise could I depart from you in spirit and heart-felt affection. Yet I am more grieved than perhaps you are yourselves that in the weak state of my health I cannot adequately cope with all the attentions required from me by the members of Christ, whom love and fear of Him compel me to serve. For you are well aware, my dear friends, that I have never been absent because of any selfish desire for a free time, but because of the obligations imposed on me by my servitude, which has often compelled my holy brethren and colleagues to undertake tasks on the sea and over the sea,