diff --git a/service/mail/deliver.go b/service/mail/deliver.go
index 91b14147f..ba5dade35 100644
--- a/service/mail/deliver.go
+++ b/service/mail/deliver.go
@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ type Outgoing struct {
 	SenderIP   string
 }
 
+// One limit on an Outgoing, checked here where every door meets, so size
+// is a fact about a message rather than about how it arrived. Matches the
+// 10MB the SMTP paths already accept: a stored body is re-marshalled,
+// re-encrypted and re-written on every later delivery to anybody, so one
+// oversized message makes every account slower forever.
+const maxOutgoingBytes = 10 << 20
+
 // Deliver sends one message to wherever its recipient is: off this instance
 // over SMTP, or into an inbox here.
 //
@@ -65,6 +72,9 @@ func Deliver(m Outgoing) (string, error) {
 	if to == "" {
 		return "", errors.New("no recipient")
 	}
+	if n := len(m.Body) + len(m.HTML); n > maxOutgoingBytes {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("message is %d bytes; the limit is %d", n, maxOutgoingBytes)
+	}
 	if IsExternalEmail(to) {
 		return ReplyOut(m.FromID, m.Display, to, m.Subject, m.Body, m.HTML, m.InReplyTo, m.References)
 	}
diff --git a/service/mail/deliver_test.go b/service/mail/deliver_test.go
index 5fe61c0a3..f1cd77829 100644
--- a/service/mail/deliver_test.go
+++ b/service/mail/deliver_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package mail
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
@@ -264,6 +265,24 @@ func TestDeliverSaysWhoItCouldNotFind(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// A message bigger than the limit is refused with the size and the limit,
+// wherever it came from. A truncated send is worse than a refused one.
+// See issue 1465.
+func TestDeliverRefusesAnOversizedMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("MAIL_DOMAIN", "example.test")
+	sender := account(t, "sender")
+
+	big := strings.Repeat("x", maxOutgoingBytes)
+	_, err := Deliver(Outgoing{FromID: sender, Display: "A", To: "someone@example.test",
+		Subject: "hi", Body: big})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("delivered a message over the limit")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), fmt.Sprintf("%d", maxOutgoingBytes)) {
+		t.Errorf("error %q does not say the size or the limit", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func account(t *testing.T, id string) string {
 	t.Helper()
 	if have, err := auth.GetAccount(id); err == nil && have != nil {