study and ttrae has been bestowed ou acquiriog a underataui^Dg of virtue and humanity.
30. Be careful, therefore, that this year which ia added to yoor labour may appear at the Eame time to have been added for the prosperity of Asia, Since Asia has been more fortunate in her efforts to detain you than we have been in oiu-s to recal you, take care that our regret may be mitigated hy the gladness of the province. For if you have been the raoet diligent of al! men in deserving that such great honours should be paid to you as I know not whether any one has received, you ought to eiert far greater diligence in preserving those honours.
31, I have, indeed, written to you before what I think of honours of that kind. I have always thought them, if they were common, worthless; if they were appointed for some tenaponiry occasion, trifling; but if, as has been the case now, they were granted to your merits, I thought tluit much eiertion should be used by you to preserve them. Since, therefore, you reside with supreme power and authority in those cities in which you see your virtues con^ci'ated and nuked in the number of [those of] the gods, in everything which yon shall determine, or decree, or do, you wiU recollect' what you owe to such high opinions of mankind, such fevourable judgment concerning you, such exalted honours. This resolution will be of such influence, that you will consult the welfare of all, will remedy the distresses of the people, and provide for their safety, and that you will wish to be both called and thought the fother of Asia.
XI. 32. No doubt the farmers of the public revenue offer great obstacles to your desires and efforts. But if n'e oppose them, we shall separate both from ourselves and from the repablic an order of men which deserves well of ourselves per-SMially, and which is by our means attached to the republic. Tet, if we comply with their wishes in everything, we shall be allowing those persons to be utterly ruined, not only whose safety, but whose advantage, we are bound to couault. Tliis, if we would form a correct judgment, is the one difficulty which pervades yoiir whole government. For to be disinterested, to restrain all one's desires, to keep a check upon one's people, to maintain an equitable system of law, to show oneself courteous in inquiring into matters of business, and Ifl OICKBO'a LETTERS affftble m listening and giving access to people, is honourablo rether thnu difficult: for it does not depend on any Jaboiir,, but rather on a certain inclination and willingness of mind.
33. How great distress the line of conduct adopted by thft; fnnnera causeB the allies, we have learned from those citizens' fif our own, who lately, in the matter of the removal of the. harbour-dues of Italy, complained not so much of the tax itself, as of certain wrongs committed by the tai-oollectora., So that I cannot be ignorant what'of happens to the allies ia remote districts, when I hear the complaints of my owa countrymen in Italy. That you abould ao conduct yourself in auch circumstances, as both to satisfy the farmers, (especially if they made an unlucky coutraet for the revenues,) and not to allow the allies to be ruined, appears an achievement worthy of some dirine virtue, that is, of your own.
_ And in the first place, that which to the Greeks is a moat bitter consideration, namely, that they are liable to pay taiea, ouglit not to appear so bitter; because, without auy interference of the power of the Roman people, while they lived^ under their own laws, they were themselves, and of thein-'i selves, in the same condition; and they have uo right todisdain the name of fiirmer, as they themselves could not pay the tax which Sylla had, with perfect fairness, levied upon them, without a (armer. And that, in exacting the taxes, the Greek farmers are not mote lenient than our own, may be Beau from this fact, that a little while ago the Caunians, and all the inhabitants of the islands which had been made over to the Rhodiana by Sylla, fled to the senate with entreaties to be allowed to pay tribute to us rather than to the Rhodiana. Those, therefore, have no right to eiprcaa auy horror of the name of furmer, who have always been bable to the payment of taiea; nor ought those who by themselves could not pay tiie taxes, to disdain him; not ought those to object to him, I Lave actually asked for his appointment, k- Let Asia at the same time recollect, that uo calamity ~t domestic dissension, would have been were not held under tlie dominion that dominiou cau by no means be intentedly purchase fur herself _^^__ a certain portion of her TO HIS BROTHBB QniNTUS.
XIL 35, Aad, if they Tvill endure thnt clasa of men, and the BUme of larnier, 'with patience, other grievances, through your wisdom and prudence, may possibly appear lighter to them. They may, in making contracts, regard, not the mere Censorian. \aw,^ but rather the convenience of transacting business, aad their freedom from trouble. You, too, may do, what you have already done admirably, and what you still are doing, namely, to take frequent occosious to mention how great worth there is in the farmers, and how much we owe to that order; so that, laying aside anthority, and the exertion of power and of the faacea, yon may bind the &rmerB to the Greeks by afiection and influence. But you may also beg of those of whom you have deserved estremely well, and who indeed owe everything to you, to allow us, by good-temper on their part, to secnrs and maintain that connesion which already exists between us and the &rmera.
36. But why do I eihort you to this courae of conducf, which you can not only pursue of your own accord without directjons from any one, but have already to a great eitent practised? For highly honourable and important companies do not cease to address their thanks to us, and this is the more acceptable to me, because the Greeks do the same. And it is difficult to imite in good-will those things which in interests, utility, and almost in their very nature, are different from each other. But I have written what is written above, not for the purpose of instructing you, (for your wisdom stands in need of no instructions from any one,) but because, while thus writing, the commemoration of your virtues was a pleasure to me, although I have been more prolix in this letter than I either intended or expected to be, XIII. 37. There is oao thing to which I shall not cease to exhort you; nor will I allow your praises to be spoken, as far as shall be in my power, with any abatement; for all who come from thcee regions speak in such a manner of your virtue, integrity, and humanity, as to make, among your great praises, proneness to anger the only esception. This ' The terms on which tlie reveauea of the proyinoes ware let ware fixed by the censors, in the adioti c&Ued Ler/ci Ckaioria; but those nara ■omatimeB modified to raise the credit or popularity of the pnblioana. In theoBDHOcahip of Cato, 563 S-U.c, the aoDate itaalf intflrfered to iowec IB wLioli his rigour had sought to impose. — LIT, ixui. U.
CICEB0 3 LETTERS affable in listening and giving access to people, ia honourable rather thaa difficult: for it does not depend on any labour, but rather on a certain inolination and willingness of mind.
33. How great diatreas tha line of conduct adopted by the fitrmere causes the allies, we have learned irom those citizens I, who lately, in the matter of the removal of the hnrbour-duea of Italy, complained not so much of the tas itself, as of certain wrongs committed by the tax-collectors. So that I cannot be ignorant what'of happens to the allies in remote districts, when I hear the complaints of my own countrymen in Italy. That you should so conduct yourself, in such circumstances, aa both to satisfy the farmers, (especially if they made an unlucky contract for the revenues,) and not to allow the allies to be ruined, appears an achievement worthy of some divine virtue, that is, of your own.
And in the first place, that which to the Greeks is a most bitter consideration, namely, that they are liable to pay taxes, ought not to appear so bitter; because, without any interference of the power of the Roman people, while they lived under their own laws, they were themselves, and of themselves, in the same condition; and they have no right to disdain the name of farmer, as they themselves could not pay the tas which Sylla had, with perfect fairness, levied upon them, without a farmer. And that, in exacting the tases, the Greek formers are not more lenient than our own, may be Been fi-om this fact, that a little while ago the Caunians, and all the inhabitants of the islands which had been made over to the Rhodians by Sylia, fled to the senate with entreaties to be allowed to jwty tribute to ua rather than to the Rhodiana. Those, therefore, have no right to express any horror of the name of fiirmer, who have always been liable to the payment of taxes; nor ought those who by themselves could not pay the taxes, to disdain him; nor ought those to object to him, who have actually asked for his appointment.
34. Let Asia at the sanae time recollect, that no calamity of foreign war, or of domestic dissension, woulil have been absent from her, if she were not held under the dominion of this country. And as that dominion can by no means bo upheld without taxes, let her contentedly purchase fur herself perpetual peace and tranq^uillity with a certain portion of her TO Hia BBOTHEB QUOfTUS.
XIL 35. And, if they will endure that class of men, Jie name of fanner, with patieuce, other grievances, through your wisdom and prudence, may possibly appear lighter to them. They raay, in making contracts, regard, not the mere Censorian law,^ but rather the convenience of transacting business, and their freedom from trouble. You, too, may do, "what yon have already done admirably, and what you still are doing, namely, to take frequent oocosions to mention how great worth there is in the fftrmerB,and bow much we owe to that order; so that, laying aside authority, and the exertion of power and of the fasces, you may bind the farmers to the Greeks by affection aod infiuenoe. But you may also beg of those of whom you have deserved extremely well, and who indeed owe everything to you, to allow us, fay good-temper on their part, to secure and maintain that connexion which alieady exists between us and the farmers.
36. But why do I exhort you to this couree of condnct, which you can not only pursue of your own accord without directions from any one, but have already to a great extent practised ) For highly honourable and important companies do not cease to address their thanks to us, and this is the mora aoceptable to me, because the Greeks do the same. And it is difficult to miite in good-wiil those things which in interests, utility, and almost in their very nature, are different from each other. But I have written what is written above, not for the purpose of instructing yon, (for your wisdom stands in need of no instructions from any one,) but because, while thus writing, the commemoration of your virtues was a pleasure to me, although I have been more prolix in this letter than I either intended or expected to be.
XIII. 37. There is one thing to which I sh^ not cease to eJthort you; nor will I allow yonr praises to be spoken, as as shall be in my power, with any abatement; for all who ne from those regions speak in such a manner of your virtue, integrity, and humanity, as to make, among your great praises, proneuess to anger the only exception. This The terms on wbicli tlie reveDuaa of the pravincea were let were Ex«d bj the censors, is ths edicts csUed Leget <UntoriiB; but these nero Bometiroes modiBed to raise tho orodit or populnrity of the publionQa In the censerahip of Cflto, 668 j1.d.c., the aeDate itself interfered to lower tha tenna which hia rigour had sought to impose. — Liv, •"■•'" 41.
lirough ^1 I 1. bult, even in ovix private and daily life, appears to bs that of ■a imsteadj aad weak mind; but nothing is bo unseemly as to unite tbe aoerbity of natural ill-temper to supreme power. For this reason I will not now proceed to set before you the observations which are commonly made on passionateness, both because I am unwilling to bo too prolix, and because you can easily learn them frooi the writings of Eoany authors; but that which peculiarly belongs to a letter, I mean that be, to whom it is written, should be informed of matters of which , he is ignorant, I think that I ought not to omit 38. Every one makes us almost the same report, that, wheu ill-t«mper does not affeot you, nothing can be more agreeable than your behaviour; but that, when any one's dishonesty or pervcraeness has provoked you, you become so excited that your natural kindness is missed by every one. Since, therefore, it is not BO much any thirst for glory as mere ciroum-Btances and fortune that have brought us into that station of life in whieh we are, so that the conversation of mankind respecting us will be incessant, let us, as far as we can pos-Bibly achieve and succeed, take care that no remarkable vice may be said to have heea iu us. Nor do I now insist upon that which is perhaps difBcult in every disposition, and is certainly so at our time of life, namely, to cbwige tbe temper, and suddenly to pluck out whatever is deeply implanted iu the character; but I give you this admonition, that if you ouinot wholly avoid this habit, because your mind is oocu- I jued by anger before reason can prevent it from being so I occupied, you should still prepare yourself beforehand, and meditate every day that you must resist this proneness to anger, and that, when it has the greatest effect upon your mind, your tongue must then bo most oirefully restrained; for this appeare to me at timea a virtue not inferior to that of never being angry, For the latter is the consequence, not merely of gravity of temper, but sometimes even of dulness; but to restrain your passion and lauguogo when yon are provoked, or even to be silent, and to keep your agitation of mind and indignation under control, although it be not a proof of perfect wisdom, is certainly an indication of no moderate mental power.
39. In this respect men report that you have already I become much more moderate and gentle. No estreraely 3 BROTHER QUWTUS.
Tiolent borsta of passion, no reproacheB, no insultd, uro reported to ue; &ulta which are not only ioconaisteat with, leoming and politcne^, but at variance with authority and d^ity: for if our imgcr is implacable, it is estreme rancour; bttt if easily appeased, it ia estreme levity; which, however, in a choice of evils, is to be preferred to rancour.
XIV. 40. But since it was your first year that caused the most talk on this subject of censure (I im^ne because injustice, and avarice, and insolence in men occurred to you contrary to your anticipation, and on that account appeared intolerable); while the second year was much more quiet, because habit, and reason, and, as I flatter myself, my letters also, have rendered you more patient and gentle; the third year ought to be eo corrected tbat no one may be able to find even the slightest cause for ceasure in it 41. And now, on this topic, I apeak to you not with eshortation and precepts, but with brotherly entreaty, beseeching yon to devote all your thought, caro, and meditatiou to secviring the praise of all men in all quaileis. If our rank in life were in a moderate position for talk and diacnssion about na, nothing estra ordinary, nothing beyond the common conduct of other men, would bo required of you: but DOW, by reason of the splendour and importance of the circumstances in which we are placed, uniesB we secure the bluest poffiible praise from that province, we seem scarcely in a. condition to escape extreme censure. Such is our position, that while all good men look with favour on us, they at the same time require and eipect from us all imaginable diligence and virtue; but all the unprincipled, because we have eugnged in everlasting war against them, seem to be CMitented with fie very smallest pretext for censuring us.
42. Since, therefore, a theatre of such a kind, that of all Ado, has been presented for the display of your virtues — a theatre crowded with a numerous body of spectators, most ample in size, with au audience of most cultivated judgment; and so well adapted for sound, that the Bcuee and expressions of the actors reach even t*j Rome; strive, I entreat you, and labour, not only to appear worthy of the oircumstJuioeB in vfaloh yun are placed, but even superior to them by your own good qualities.
XV. 43. Andsiuce, among the different offices of the atata.
chance has Bsaigned to mo tbe domestic administration of thftf republic, but to jou a provincial government, if my part ii inferior to none, take care that yours may surpass that of ' others. At the same time reflect that we are uot now labouring for a reputation as yet unattained, and only expected; but that wo are striving for the preservation of one already earned, which indeed was not so much to be desired previously, as it is now to be maintained by lis. And if I could have any interests separate from yours, I should desire for myself nothing more honourable than this poaition which has been already acipired by me. But such is now the state of af&irs, that unless all your actions and expressions in that quarter harmoniKO with my conduct, I shall think that I have gained nothing by such toils and such dangers on ray part, in all of which you were a sharer. But if you alone, above all others, assisted me in obtaining a most honourable fame, you will now aaauredly strive beyond all others that I may retain it. You must uot regard only the opinions and judgments of men who are now living, but also of those wh» i will live hereafter, though indeed their judgment will be mor» \ just, as being free &om all detraction and malevolence. ' 44. Lastly, you ought to remember this too, that you are not seeking glory for yourself alone j though, even were that the case, you mould not neglect it, especially when you had desired to consecrate the memory of your name by the most honourable records; but it ia also to be shared with m^ and to be liandod down to our children. Ia regard to i1^ therefore, you must take care lest, if you are too remiss, you should seem, not merely to have man-iged ill for yourself but even to have grudged reputation to your relations.
XVI. 45, These remarks are not made with this view, that my words may seem to have roused you when asleep, but rather to have given you an impulse while running; for you will always give all men cause, as you have done, to praise your equity, your moderation, your strictness, aod your integrity. But from the singular love ■which I bear you, an insatiable eagerness for your gloiy possesses me; although I am of opinion, that when Asia ought now to be as well known to you as his own private house is to every man, and when such great experience is added to your excellent natural sense, there is nothing which can contribute to TO BIS EBOTHKB 0U1NTU3.
that does ^H ihortatioa ^| glory that you do not thoroughly appreciate, and not present itself daily to your mind without exhortation from any one. But I, who, while I read your letters, think that I am. listening to yon, aiid while I am writing to you, think that I am converBiug with you, am consequently most delighted with your longest letters, and am myself oftea somewhat prolix in oddres^ng you.
4fi. In conclusion, I entreat and eshort you, that as good poets and careful actors are accustomed to do, so you, at the end and termination of your office and administration, should be especially careful, that this third year of your command may, like tbo thii'd act of a play,' appear to be tlic most highly-finiBhed aud ornate of the whole. This you ■will do most easily if you shall imagine that I, whom you have always desired to please more than all the rest of the world, am always present with you, and take part in eveiythjng which you shall say and do.
It only remains for me to beg yon to take most diligent care of your health, if you wish me and all your friends to be well. Farewell.
LETTER II.
The following letter waB written in the jear after LettBT I. Cmbbi" hod begun hia conteata with the ariatocratio party; and hud brought in an agrarian law aubatantiallj tho same as tljat of Rullua: proponing amon^ other enactrntrnta, to plant 20,000 colotllata in the public doraun in Campania; and the appointniant of the eommissionera to fiuperiiit«nd tbe distributiona of tbaae laoda v/aa to be Teatad in Csaar hioiaeliL Cato opposed the bill in the eenate, and Cieaar ordered hia lictora to seize hitn and carrj him to prison, thoagh he was iteterred from executing thia menace by the indignation of the whole Beaate. His colleagao Bibuloa waa isaolute in hill oppoaition; but when ha endeavoured to renjet the paadng of the meuure in the comitia, he waa thmwD down the stepa of the temple ' Wh? does Cicero aa; the third act, vbich in the middle act of a play! Doea he mean by octi tboao three ports of a, play to which the poeta paid ao much Btteotion, the proEcuu, cpUatii, and ailailrBphe, and on the laat of whicb Uiey beBtowed the utmoat art and industry to Becnra the applanae of the audience! He baa used the mme cnmpBriaan, in almost the eatae words, in his Cato, If this eiplanation gatiafy the learned, there is no reaaon why we should read, aa haa been proposed, titremtu or WImiim, contrary to tbo old copies,— jVafesTiina.
Gcero apeaka aa if Quintoa were engaged in a play consisting only of three acts; assigning one year to eocb acL~i-V. ISuSomann/ia, I infl CICEaOB LETTERS . i broken, and he liimaelf mid ed, Cxaar now releiiSBd the Eu'nierB I from some of the conditluns of their e diEBalieSed. {See pretseding Letter.^ Ana on cne motion oi r aiimnE. the prOTmce at Ciaalpiae Qaul and IllTrioimi was uaigned to him far Gre jeaze; to which TrBnBslpina Qaul woa niterwEtrda added, through the influence of Fompe;. wha mairiad Julia, CcFKar'B daughter. Clodiua waa carrying on the mea-Biire of his adoption into a plebeian family, and openly threatening Cicero with impeachment The consuls-elect for the enauing jear, 68S A.C.C.. were Aulas Oabinius, and L. Ca]pumtuH Piao, vhoae daoghter Csesar had jnst married.
Marcof to his brother Qui^us, greeting. I. 1. St4Tid3^ arrived at my iiouse oq tho25th of October. His arrival, as you hail written that you should be torn tw. pieces by your people while he was away, was a disngreeabls one to me. But as it put abide the eipectatton of yourselfand that concourse of people which would have occurred,' if be had departed at the saiae time with you, and had not appeared till you did yourself, it seemed to me to have happened not altogether diaadvaiitageously; for the talk of men 13 now exhausted, and expressions of this kind are uttered by many, ■which I am glad ia accomplished in your absence. " 2. But whereas he eeems to have been sent by you fia" the purpose of clearing himself in my opinion, that waa notat all neoeeatiry; for, in the first place, he never was suspected by me; nor, in what I wrote to you about him, did I write on my own judgment: but as the estimation and safety of all of us who have joined in the affairs of the commonwealth depended not only on truth, but also on reputation, I.
' A freedman of Qnintua Cicero, and on» who had had far too mudi influenas over him, Iha linea in Homer, Od. ii. 613, are— 'AAA' dei Ti^a ^Ura fuyaif Hal KoAoir iSiyfiij^ NSf Si li iiir oAl^oi rt Kal oiriiiiri! Kol Sjcuiiis "OffloAfiou n' aAiHffW istl |U' iia)iiiaaaTO olva. Thus trandatad by Pope: — I deem'd aome godliie giant to behold, Or lofty hero, hauRhty, brays, and bold; Not this woik pigmy-wretch, of mean destgn, Who not by strength subdued me, but tiy wine.
I TO ms BKOTEKK QUINTUa.
have constantly writtea to you. the reports of others, and not my own opinJouB. How common, indeed, and how nnfevourable, airci reports were, Statiua himself learned on hia arrival; for he come just in time to hear the compltuats of certain pergoos, which were made to me concerning himself, and had an opportunity of eiperiencLng that the convereation of the disaffected broke forth especially against hia name, 3. But that which used to move me moat, was when I heard thut he had greater influence with you than the gravity of yoiu- age, or the prudence requisite for such a command required; (for how many people do you think have applied to me to recommend them to Statins) how many things do you think he has himself made known, without intending it, in cottversatiou to the same effect 1) that did not please me; I warned, advised, deterred you. In such proceediuga, even, if there is the greatest fidelity is him, (as, indeed, I fully believe, since such is your opinion of him,) yet the mere appearance of a freedman or of a slave having bo much influence over yon, caa contribute nothing to your dignity. Aud you may be assured, (for I feel bound neither to say anything without reason, nor to suppress anything througu policy,) that Statins has furnished entire matter for the conversation of those who seek to disparage you: previously, it oonld only have been understood that some persons were offended with your severity; but since he has been emancipated, there has not boon wanting to those who were oflended a subject on which they might enlarge.
II. 4. 1 will now reply to those letters which L. Csesiua delivered to me, (whom, as I understand that such is your wish, I will on no occasion fail to support,) one of which relates to Zeusia of Blandua,^ who, you write, is urgently recommended by me to you, while he baa most unquestionably murdered his motHer. On this subject, and concerning this whole class of persons, attend to a few words from nie, lest yon should, perchance, be surprised that I am become so solicitous of plesfing the Greeks. As I perceived that the complaints of the Greeks had too much weight, owing to the natural talent of that nation for deceiving, I sought to pacify, by every means in my power, whomsoever I heard make any complaint of you. In the first placo, 1 ' A town of Pbiygitt.
I I CICEKO S LETXEBa soothed the people of Dionjaopolis, who were moat bitter enemies of mine; and their cliief man, Hermippus, I wou over, not merely by talking to him, but by admitting liim to intimacy. I received, ivith all the couiteay and friendship in my power, Hephaestus of Apamea, and tliat most contemptible of men, Megaristua of Antandroa, and Nicios of Smyrna, and all the despicable fellowa of the district, eveu Nymphoa of Colophon. All this I did, not becanee those men, or their whole nation, gave me any pleasure; for I am thoroughly weary of their levity, their flattery, and their minda that regard no duty but merely time-serving.
6, But, to return to Zeuiis, when he repeated the very samBf things which you write, about a oonverBation hold by Marcus Cascellius with him, I objected to what he said, and odmittad the man to my intimacy. But I know not what strong desire there was in you, when you say that you wished, since you had sewn up two Mysians in a sack at Smyrna, to give a similar example of your severity in the upper part of the province, and therefore desired by all means to draw forth Zeuxia, — who, if brought before the tribunal, ought perhaps not to have been let go; but it was not DeceBsaiy that he should be sought out and enticed by blandishments,, aa you write, before the court, especially being a man of suob a character, that I know him, ft'om the reports of his fellowcitizens, and, every day move and more, from those of mat^ other persons, to be almost of greater respectability than hi native city.
6. But, you will say, I am partial to Greeks only. WhattJ did I not pacify Lucius CsEcilius by every means power? and what a man ho was I of what anger! i prido 1 Whom, indeed, except Tuscenius, whose case be mended, have I not paciliedl There just occurs to Catieuus, a fickle and sordid nfbn, though of the equestrianorder: even he shall be staoothed down. That you wera somewhat severe to his father, I do not blame you, for I well know that you acted with sufficient reason. But what need was there of letters of such a character as you sent to himl telling him that he was of hia own accord erecting a cross for himself, from which you had already taken him down; and that yon would now take care that he should be burnt nlive with the applause of the whole province. Again, what did.
I yoa write to an uuknowu ftllo-w called CoiuB Fnbius, ffor Titus CatienuB carries about that letter too,) telling him that it was reported to you that Liciuius, the kidnapper, with his young chick of an oitortioner, is esaoting tribute 1 You then ask Fabius to bum both father and aon alive if he can, and if not, to send them to you, that they may be burnt by judicial seutenco. These Iett«ra, sent doubtless in joke by you to Cftiua Fabius, if indeed they are yonra at all, appear, when they are read, to contain a barbarity of language calculated to excite odium.
7. And if you look back at the preccpte contained in all my letters, you will see that there ia nothing censured by me except the bitterness of your language and your pronenesa to anger, and perhaps, in one or two instances, your carelesBneas as to letters sent by you. If in these laattera my authority had had a little more influence over you than either your own natural disposition, which is eomewhat too hasty, or a certain pleasure which you find in pasBiouatenoss, or wit and ihcetiousness in speaking, there would really be nothing whatever for us to regret. And do you think that I feel only El trifling concern, when I hear in what estimation Vergilius, and your neighbour Cains Octavius, are held! for if you prefer yourself to your inland neighbours, the Cilician and the Syrian, you do something very great! And it ia a bitter feeling, that while those men whom I have mentioned are not superior to you in innocence, they yet surpass you in the art of conciliating good-will; men who have neyer read either the Cyrus of Xenophoa or his Agesilaus, kings from whom, though possessed of absolute power, no one ever heard a single harsh word. But how much good I have done in recommending this conduct to you fi-oui the first, I am not unaware.
III. 8. Now however that you are departing, as you seem to me to be already doing, leare behind yuu, I entreat, aa pleasant a recollection of yourself as possible. You have an exceedingly courteous successor. Your other qualities will be much regretted on his arrival. In sending letters, as I have often written to yon, jou have shown yourself too easy. Put out of the way, if you can, all that are unjust, all that are of an imusual character, all that are inconsistent one with another. Statins has told me that the letters written to you ire often brought, and read by him, and that, if they are najust, yon ore infonaed o£ it; but that, before he came to jou, there was no selection of your lettei-e, though eince that time there have been rolk of Beleoted letters which commonly met with reprobatioa.
9. On this subject, indeed, I do not give you any advioa now, for it ia too late, and you must be aware that I have giren yon much advice, in various ways, and with great care. Attend to that, however, which I bade Theopompus tell you, when I was reminded of the circumstance by himself namely, that by means of miiu well affected to you, these different kinds of letters, as is easy, may be put out of the way: in the first place, those which are unjust; nert, those which are contradictory; then those written in an absurd and unusnal manner; and lastly, &11 that are insulting to any one, I do not indeed believe that these are exactly such as they are stated to be, and if they have escaped observation through the pressure of your business, at least examine them now, and get rid of them. I have read a letter which your uomenciator Syllii was said to have written himself, a ' cannot be approved; I have read some very angry i 10. We will speak, however, of the letters at _ time. For while 1 had hold of this page, Lucius Flavlus th» prffitor-etect came in to me, a mau with whom I am on terms of great intimacy. He told me that you had sent letters to his agents which appeared to me most unreasonable, commanding them to take nothing fixim the property which had belonged to Lucius Octavi us Naso, to whom Lucius Flavins is heir, until they had paid a sum of money toOaiusFundanius; and that you had sent also to the people of Apollonia not to allow any portion of the property which had belonged to Octavius to be taken aivay, until the debt due to Fundauiua vraa paid. These things do not seem to rae to be probable, for they are wholly inconsistent with your usual prudence. That the heir shall take none of the property! What if he demurs! What if there is no debt at all owing! What! ia the pnetor accustomed to decide that there is a debt owing? What I (you will say) shall I not desire to serve Fundaniua t Am I not his firiendl Am I not moved with compassion him? — No one more so, but in some cases the path of of such a character that there is no room for favour. Flavins told me that it was so expressed in that letter ■ men- 'hidj ttinjl th»V be afSnned to be yonrs. thnt you would either give the people thanks &a your friends, or bring trouble on them cis enemies.