Delphi Complete Works of Pliny the Younger (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics)

by Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus Pliny the Younger

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  21. C. PLINIUS CANINIO SUO S.

  1 Sum ex iis qui mirer antiquos, non tamen — ut quidam — temporum nostrorum ingenia despicio. Neque enim quasi lassa et effeta natura nihil iam laudabile parit. 2 Atque adeo nuper audivi Vergilium Romanum paucis legentem comoediam ad exemplar veteris comoediae scriptam, tam bene ut esse quandoque possit exemplar. 3 Nescio an noris hominem, quamquam nosse debes; est enim probitate morum, ingenii elegantia, operum varietate monstrabilis. 4 Scripsit mimiambos tenuiter argute venuste, atque in hoc genere eloquentissime; nullum est enim genus quod absolutum non possit eloquentissimum dici. Scripsit comoedias Menandrum aliosque aetatis eiusdem aemulatus; licet has inter Plautinas Terentianasque numeres. 5 Nunc primum se in vetere comoedia, sed non tamquam inciperet ostendit. Non illi vis, non granditas, non subtilitas, non amaritudo, non dulcedo, non lepos defuit: ornavit virtutes, insectatus est vitia; fictis nominibus decenter, veris usus est apte. 6 Circa me tantum benignitate nimia modum excessit, nisi quod tamen poetis mentiri licet. 7 In summa extorquebo ei librum legendumque, immo ediscendum mittam tibi; neque enim dubito futurum, ut non deponas si semel sumpseris. Vale.

  21. — TO CANINIUS.

  I am one of those who admire the ancients, yet I do not, like some, disparage the intellects of our own time. For it is not true that nature, as though wearied and effete, no longer produces anything worthy of admiration. And indeed I lately heard Vergilius Rufus reading to a small company a comedy written after the model of the old comedy, and so well written that it may itself serve as a model some day. I do not know whether you are acquainted with the author, though you ought to be; for he is a man of mark owing to his high character, his refined genius, and his versatility as a writer. He has written “Mimiambi” with much delicacy, melody and grace, indeed masterpieces of their kind (for there is no kind of composition which, if carried to perfection, may not be styled a masterpiece); he has written comedies in imitation of Menander and other authors of the same age. You might rank them among the works of Plautus and Terence. Now, for the first time, though not with the air of a beginner, he exhibits himself in the old comedy. Vigour, grandeur, subtlety, pungency, sweetness, humour, none of these are wanting to him; he exalts virtue and lashes vice, employing fictitious names with good taste, and real ones with appropriateness. In my case only he has transgressed the bounds, through excess of complaisance, except for this indeed that poets are licensed to fib. To sum up, I shall squeeze the book out of him and send it to you to read, or rather to be learnt by heart, for I am sure you will not lay it down, if you once take it up.

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  22. C. PLINIUS TIRONI SUO S.

  1 Magna res acta est omnium qui sunt provinciis praefuturi, magna omnium qui se simpliciter credunt amicis. 2 Lustricius Bruttianus cum Montanium Atticinum comitem suum in multis flagitiis deprehendisset, Caesari scripsit. Atticinus flagitiis addidit, ut quem deceperat accusaret. Recepta cognitio est; fui in consilio. Egit uterque pro se, egit autem carptim et ‘kata kephalaion’, quo genere veritas statim ostenditur. 3 Protulit Bruttianus testamentum suum, quod Atticini manu scriptum esse dicebat; hoc enim et arcana familiaritas et querendi de eo, quem sic amasset, necessitas indicabatur. 4 Enumeravit crimina foeda manifesta; quae ille cum diluere non posset, ita regessit, ut dum defenditur turpis, dum accusat sceleratus probaretur. Corrupto enim scribae servo interceperat commentarios intercideratque, ac per summum nefas utebatur adversus amicum crimine suo. 5 Fecit pulcherrime Caesar: non enim de Bruttiano, sed statim de Atticino perrogavit. Damnatus et in insulam relegatus; Bruttiano iustissimum integritatis testimonium redditum, quem quidem etiam constantiae gloria secuta est. 6 Nam defensus expeditissime accusavit vehementer, nec minus acer quam bonus et sincerus apparuit. 7 Quod tibi scripsi, ut te sortitum provinciam praemonerem, plurimum tibi credas, nec cuiquam satis fidas, deinde scias si quis forte te — quod abominor — fallat, paratam ultionem. Qua tamen ne sit opus, etiam atque etiam attende; 8 neque enim tam iucundum est vindicari quam decipi miserum. Vale.

  22. — TO TIRO.

  An affair has taken place, which is of importance to all those who are destined to govern provinces, and of importance too to those who trust implicitly in their friends. Lustricius Bruttianus, having discovered Montanius Atticinus, one of his suite, in many delinquencies, reported him to Cæsar. Atticinus added to his former delinquencies by accusing the man whom he had deceived. An investigation was allowed, and I was among the assessors. Each party pleaded his own case; in a summary way, however, and touching only on the heads, a method by which the truth is at once brought to light. Bruttianus produced his will, which he declared to have been written by the hand of Atticinus; this showed the closeness of their intercourse and the necessity which had driven him to complain of one whom he had loved so dearly. He enumerated certain disgraceful and palpable offences; which charges Atticinus, being unable to impair, retorted in such a way as to prove himself a mean knave by his defence and a scoundrel by his accusations. For by bribing one of the secretaries’ slaves, he had intercepted the Governor’s official minutes and mutilated them, and now with consummate rascality was trying to turn his own crime to account against his friend. Cæsar acted nobly. He called for our verdicts, not on Bruttianus but forthwith on Atticinus. The latter was convicted and banished to an island. Bruttianus received a perfectly merited acknowledgment of his integrity, and, in addition to this, obtained the credit due to his energy; for, after making short work of his own defence, he conducted his accusation with vigour, and showed that he was as spirited as he was good and honest.

  This I have written to you by way of warning you beforehand, now that you have had a province allotted to you, to trust to yourself for the most part, and not put entire confidence in any one else. Next, you will learn, that should any one chance to deceive you (which may the gods avert!) satisfaction is provided you. Yet, again and again be careful that there may be no need of this; for it is not so agreeable to be vindicated as it is miserable to be imposed upon.

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  13. C. PLINIUS TRIARIO SUO S.

  1 Impense petis ut agam causam pertinentem ad curam tuam, pulchram alioqui et famosam. Faciam, sed non gratis. ‘Qui fieri potest’ inquis ‘ut non gratis tu?’ Potest: exigam enim mercedem honestiorem gratuito patrocinio. 2 Peto atque etiam paciscor ut simul agat Cremutius Ruso. Solitum hoc mihi et iam in pluribus claris adulescentibus factitatum; nam mire concupisco bonos iuvenes ostendere foro, assignare famae. 3 Quod si cui, praestare Rusoni meo debeo, vel propter natales ipsius vel propter eximiam mei caritatem; quem magni aestimo in isdem iudiciis, ex isdem etiam partibus conspici audiri. 4 Obliga me, obliga ante quam dicat; nam cum dixerit gratias ages. Spondeo sollicitudini tuae, spei meae, magnitudini causae suffecturum. Est indolis optimae brevi producturus alios, si interim provectus fuerit a nobis. 5 Neque enim cuiquam tam clarum statim ingenium ut possit emergere, nisi illi materia occasio, fautor etiam commendatorque contingat. Vale.

  23. — TO TRIARIUS.

  You beg me urgently to undertake a case in which you are interested, and which, independently of this, is an important one, exciting public attention. I will do so, but not gratuitously. “Can it be,” say you, “that you won’t act gratuitously?” Yes, it can be; for I shall exact a fee more creditable to me than if I held a brief for you gratis. I ask, and indeed stipulate, that Cremutius Ruso shall be with me in the case. This is a practice of mine, and one which I have frequently followed before now in the case of several young men of distinction. For I am excessively anxious to exhibit young men of promise to the Courts, and to introduce them to fame. This service I ought to render to Ruso, if to any one, whether on account of the nobility of his own birth, or else of the extraordinary regard he has for me; and I think it of great consequence that he should be seen and heard in the same cases, and moreover on the same side, as myself. Oblige me then, oblige me, before he speaks; for when he has
once spoken, you will express your obligations. I guarantee that he will satisfy your anxieties and my hopes and the importance of the case. He has excellent qualities and will soon be bringing out other people, if meanwhile he be brought out by us. For indeed no man is gifted with a genius so immediately conspicuous as to be able to rise from obscurity, unless the materials, the opportunity — ay, and a patron too and one to recommend him — fall to his lot.

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  24. C. PLINIUS MACRO SUO S.

  1 Quam multum interest quid a quoque fiat! Eadem enim facta claritate vel obscuritate facientium aut tolluntur altissime aut humillime deprimuntur. 2 Navigabam per Larium nostrum, cum senior amicus ostendit mihi villam, atque etiam cubiculum quod in lacum prominet: ‘Ex hoc’ inquit ‘aliquando municeps nostra cum marito se praecipitavit.’ 3 Causam requisivi. Maritus ex diutino morbo circa velanda corporis ulceribus putrescebat; uxor ut inspiceret exegit; neque enim quemquam fidelius indicaturum, possetne sanari. 4 Vidit desperavit hortata est ut moreretur, comesque ipsa mortis, dux immo et exemplum et necessitas fuit; nam se cum marito ligavit abiecitque in lacum. 5 Quod factum ne mihi quidem, qui municeps, nisi proxime auditum est, non quia minus illo clarissimo Arriae facto, sed quia minor ipsa. Vale.

  24. — TO MACER.

  What a mighty difference it makes, by whom a thing is done! For deeds of the same character are either exalted to the highest pitch or sunk in the depths of oblivion according to the fame or the obscurity of the actors. I was sailing on our lake Larius, when an elderly friend pointed out to me a villa and moreover a saloon projecting over the lake. “From that spot,” said he, “a townswoman of ours, once upon a time, precipitated herself in company with her husband.” I inquired the reason. The husband had for a long time been an invalid, suffering from putrid ulcers in the groin. His wife insisted on seeing them; no one (she said) could inform him more faithfully than she whether he was capable of being cured. She saw them and despaired. Next she advised him to die, and became herself his companion in death, nay rather his example and leader, the compelling cause of his death; for she tied her husband to her, and jumped into the lake. This exploit was never heard of till recently, even by me her townsman; not because it was smaller than Arria’s celebrated exploit, but because the agent was a smaller person.

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  25. C. PLINIUS HISPANO SUO S.

  1 Scribis Robustum, splendidum equitem Romanum, cum Atilio Scauro amico meo Ocriculum usque commune iter peregisse, deinde nusquam comparuisse; petis ut Scaurus veniat nosque, si potest, in aliqua inquisitionis vestigia inducat. 2 Veniet; vereor ne frustra. Suspicor enim tale nescio quid Robusto accidisse quale aliquando Metilio Crispo municipi meo. 3 Huic ego ordinem impetraveram atque etiam proficiscenti quadraginta milia nummum ad instruendum se ornandumque donaveram, nec postea aut epistulas eius aut aliquem de exitu nuntium accepi. 4 Interceptusne sit a suis an cum suis dubium: certe non ipse, non quisquam ex servis eius apparuit, ut ne Robusti quidem. 5 Experiamur tamen, accersamus Scaurum; demus hoc tuis, demus optimi adulescentis honestissimis precibus, qui pietate mira mira etiam sagacitate patrem quaerit. Di faveant ut sic inveniat ipsum, quemadmodum iam cum quo fuisset invenit! Vale.

  25. — TO HISPANUS.

  You write word that Robustus, a distinguished Roman knight, got as far as Ocriculum — to which point their road lay in common — with Atilius Scaurus, a friend of mine, and that nothing further was heard of him. You wish for Scaurus to come and, if it be in his power, to put us on some track for inquiry. He shall come; I fear to no purpose. Indeed I suspect that something or other has befallen Robustus, similar to what once befell Metilius Crispus, a townsman of mine. I had obtained for him his Company, and had further presented him at his departure with forty thousand sesterces for his outfit and equipment; I never, after this, got any letters from him or any news with regard to his end. Whether he was cut off by his slaves, or in company with his slaves, is a matter of doubt; certainly neither he nor any of his slaves subsequently appeared, as indeed none of Robustus’s have. We must use our efforts, however; we must send for Scaurus; we must accord this to your prayers and to those, so highly to be commended, of that excellent youth who is making inquiry for his father with such marvellous affection and marvellous sagacity as well. May the gods be favourable, so that he may discover the object of his search, in the same way as he already discovered the person in whose company he had been.

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  26. C. PLINIUS SERVIANO SUO S.

  1 Gaudeo et gratulor, quod Fusco Salinatori filiam tuam destinasti. Domus patricia, pater honestissimus, mater pari laude; ipse studiosus litteratus etiam disertus, puer simplicitate comitate iuvenis senex gravitate. Neque enim amore decipior. 2 Amo quidem effuse — ita officiis ita reverentia meruit -, iudico tamen, et quidem tanto acrius quanto magis amo; tibique ut qui exploraverim spondeo, habiturum te generum quo melior fingi ne voto quidem potuit. 3 Superest ut avum te quam maturissime similium sui faciat. Quam felix tempus illud, quo mihi liberos illius nepotes tuos, ut meos vel liberos vel nepotes, ex vestro sinu sumere et quasi pari iure tenere continget! Vale.

  26. — TO SERVIANUS.

  I am delighted, and congratulate you, that you have betrothed your daughter to Fuscus Salinator. His family is patrician, his father a man of the highest character, and his mother of like repute. He himself is of a studious and literary turn, indeed learned, a boy in candour, a young man in geniality, an elder in seriousness. Nor does my love for him deceive me. I do love him, to be sure, with effusion (his attentions and his respect for me have deserved this), yet I exercise my judgment, and indeed the more stringently the more I love him; and I guarantee to you, as one who have closely investigated him, that you will have a son-in-law than whom your wishes could not have formed a better. All that remains is that he should, as soon as possible, make you the grandfather of young ones like himself. How happy the time, when it will be my good fortune to receive from your arms his children and your grandchildren — just as if they were my own children or grandchildren — and to hold them in mine, as though I had an equal right to them!

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  27. C. PLINIUS SEVERO SUO S.

  1 Rogas ut cogitem, quid designatus consul in honorem principis censeas. Facilis inventio, non facilis electio; est enim ex virtutibus eius larga materia. Scribam tamen vel — quod malo — coram indicabo, si prius haesitationem meam ostendero. 2 Dubito num idem tibi suadere quod mihi debeam. Designatus ego consul omni hac, etsi non adulatione, specie tamen adulationis abstinui, non tamquam liber et constans, sed tamquam intellegens principis nostri, cuius videbam hanc esse praecipuam laudem, si nihil quasi ex necessitate decernerem. 3 Recordabar etiam plurimos honores pessimo cuique delatos, quibus hic optimus separari non alio magis poterat, quam diversitate censendi; quod ipsum non dissimulatione et silentio praeterii, ne forte non iudicium illud meum sed oblivio videretur. 4 Hoc tunc ego; sed non omnibus eadem placent, ne conveniunt quidem. Praeterea faciendi aliquid non faciendive ratio cum hominum ipsorum tum rerum etiam ac temporum condicione mutatur. 5 Nam recentia opera maximi principis praebent facultatem, nova magna vera censendi. Quibus ex causis, ut supra scripsi, dubito an idem nunc tibi quod tunc mihi suadeam. Illud non dubito, debuisse me in parte consilii tui ponere, quid ipse fecissem. Vale.

  27. — TO SEVERUS.

  You ask me to consider what you as Consul Elect should say, when called upon in the Senate, in honour of the Emperor. It is easy to find what to say, but by no means easy to make a selection; so abundant is the material furnished by his virtues. However, I will write or — which I should prefer — will intimate to you my ideas by word of mouth, on condition of first exhibiting to you the causes of my hesitation. I am in doubt whether to advise you to do the same as I did. When Consul Elect, I abstained from all those usual topics which, though not flattery, would have borne the appearance of flattery; not by way of s
howing my independence and fearlessness, but as understanding our Sovereign, whose greatest commendation I saw to be this, that nothing should be proposed by me in his honour, as though on compulsion. I remembered too that the most numerous honours had been conferred on the worst princes; from whom our present excellent Sovereign could not be distinguished in any better way than by a different mode of speaking of him. This particular point I did not disguise or pass in silence; lest my treatment should haply seem due to forgetfulness instead of being the result of judgment. Such was my conduct on that occasion; but the same course does not find favour with, is not indeed suitable to, all persons. Moreover, the grounds for doing or not doing anything are altered according to the circumstances of the parties themselves, and the matters in hand, and the occasion. For the recent achievements of our illustrious Prince furnish an opportunity of saying in the Senate much that is new and important as well as true. For which reasons, as I before said, I doubt whether to advise you to act now as I did then. This, however, I have no doubt about, that it was my duty to offer for your consideration the course pursued by myself.