Letter 13.16

Of all the young nobles, I was most fond of Publius Crassus, and while I had great hopes for him from the very beginning of his career, I began to esteem him especially highly after learning of the extraordinary judgments you had made about him. I both valued and approved of his freedman Apollonius even when Crassus was still alive; for he was both devoted to Crassus and very well suited to his excellent pursuits, and so he was greatly liked by him. After the death of Crassus, he seemed to me even more worthy of being received into my loyalty and friendship, because he thought those men should be respected and cultivated whom Crassus had loved and to whom he had been dear. And so he came to me in Cilicia and was of great use to me in many matters, both through his loyalty and his wisdom; and I believe he did not fail you in the Alexandrian war, as far as he could accomplish by zeal and faithfulness. Since he hoped that you too thought so, he set out for Spain to see you, primarily on his own initiative, but also with my encouragement. I did not promise him a letter of recommendation, not because I thought it would not carry weight with you, but because he did not seem to me to need a recommendation, having been with you in war and being one of yours through the memory of Crassus; and if he wished to use recommendations, I saw he could obtain them through others as well. But I gladly gave him a testimony of my judgment about him, which he himself valued highly and which I had found to carry weight with you. I have therefore come to know a learned man, devoted to the best studies, and so from boyhood; for he spent much time from his youth in my house with Diodotus the Stoic, in my judgment the most learned of men. Now, fired by enthusiasm for your achievements, he desires to record them in Greek literature. I believe he can: he has talent; he has experience; he has long been engaged in that field of study and letters; he wonderfully desires to do justice to the immortality of your praises. You have the testimony of my opinion, but you with your singular wisdom will judge this far more easily yourself. And yet -- what I said I would not do -- I do recommend him to you: whatever favor you show him will be most welcome to me.

DXLIII (Fam. XIII, 16) CICERO TO CAESAR (IN SPAIN) ROME (FEBRUARY) OF all our men of rank there is no one of whom I have been fonder than of Publius Crassus the younger; and though I have had very great hopes of him from his earliest years, I began at once to entertain brilliant ideas of his abilities when I was informed of your high opinion of him. His freedman Apollonius I always valued and thought well of even when Crassus was alive: for he was very attentive to Crassus and extremely well suited to promote his best tastes: and, accordingly, was much liked by him. But after the death of Crassus he seemed the more worthy of admission to my confidence and friendship, because he regarded it as his duty to be attentive and polite to those whom the late Crassus had loved and by whom he had been beloved. Accordingly, he came to stay with me in Cilicia , and in many particulars his fidelity and good sense were of great use to me; and, as I think, he rendered you all the service in the Alexandrine war that was within the range of ability and fidelity. Hoping that you would think the same, he has started to join you in Spain — chiefly indeed on his own initiative, but also on my advice. I did not promise him a letter of recommendation, not because I doubted its weight with you, but because he did not seem to want any, for he had been on active service in your army, and had been put on your staff from respect to the memory of Crassus . And if he did choose to avail himself of introductions, I saw that he could accomplish that by means of others. It is a testimony to my opinion of him, which he values highly and which I also have found to have weight with you, that I hereby give him with pleasure. Well, then, I have found him to be well instructed and devoted to the highest pursuits, and that from a boy. For he lived much at my house from his boyhood along with the Stoic Diodotus , a man in my opinion of the most profound learning. At present, fired with admiration of your achievements, he desires to write a history of them in Greek. I think he is capable of doing it. He has great genius: great experience: for a long time past he has been engaged in that branch of study and literature: he is wonderfully eager to do justice to the immortal fame of your glorious achievements. You have here the record of my opinion, but your supreme wisdom will enable you to decide with much greater ease upon this point. Yet, after all, though I said I would not do so, I recommend him to you. Whatever favour you show him will be more than ordinarily gratifying to me.

XVI. Scr. Asturae mense Aprili a.u.c. 709. CICERO CAESARI SAL. P. Crassum ex omni nobilitate adolescentem dilexi plurimum, et de eo quum ab ineunte eius aetate bene speravissem, tum perbene existimare coepi eximiis iudiciis, quae de eo feceras, cognitis. Eius libertum Apollonium iam tum equidem, quum ille viveret, et magni faciebam et probabam; erat enim et studiosus Crassi et ad eius optima studia vehementer aptus; itaque ab eo admodum diligebatur. Post mortem autem Crassi eo mihi etiam dignior visus est, quem in fidem atque amicitiam meam reciperem, quod eos a se observandos et colendos putabat, quos ille dilexisset et quibus carus fuisset; itaque et ad me in Ciliciam venit multisque in rebus mihi magno usui fuit et fides eius et prudentia, et, ut opinor, tibi in Alexandrino bello, quantum studio et fidelitate consequi potuit, non defuit: quod quum speraret te quoque ita existimare, in Hispaniam ad te maxime ille quidem suo consilio, sed etiam me auctore est profectus. Cui ego commendationem non sum pollicitus, non quin eam valituram apud te arbitrarer, sed neque egere mihi commendatione videbatur, qui et in bello tecum fuisset et propter memoriam Crassi de tuis unus esset, et, si uti commendationibus vellet, etiam per alios eum videbam id consequi posse: testimonium mei de eo iudicii, quod et ipse magni aestimabat et ego apud te valere eram expertus, ei libenter dedi. Doctum igitur hominem cognovi et studiis optimis deditum, idque a puero: nam domi meae cum Diodoto Stoico, homine meo iudicio eruditissimo, multum a puero fuit; nunc autem, incensus studio rerum tuarum, eas litteris Graecis mandare cupiebat. Posse arbitror: valet ingenio; habet usum; iampridem in eo genere studii litterarumque versatur; satisfacere immortalitati laudum tuarum mirabiliter cupit. Habes opinionis meae testimonium, sed tu hoc facilius multo pro tua singulari prudentia iudicabis. Et tamen, quod negaveram, commendo tibi eum: quidquid ei commodaveris, erit id mihi maiorem in modum gratum.