Letter 103.17

Greetings, my Fronto, deservedly dearest. I understand that extremely clever turn of yours, and you found it out with great kindness: since, because of your exceptional love for me, you could not make your praise of me credible, you tried to make the praise credible by adding blame. But how blessed I am, if my Marcus Cornelius, greatest of orators and best of men, thinks me worthy both to be praised and to be corrected. What shall I say of your letter, so kind, so truthful, so friendly? Truthful, at least, up to the first part of your little book. For the rest, where you approve me, as some Greek says, I think Thucydides, "the lover is blind about the beloved"; in the same way, you have plainly judged my work almost blinded by love for me. Still, so much do I value writing badly and being praised by you, not by any merit of mine but only by your love for me, about which you recently wrote so much and so elegantly, that if you wish it, I shall be something. At any rate, your letter made me feel how intensely you loved me. As for my discouragement, however, my mind is still afraid and a little sad, in case I said something today in the Senate because of which I do not deserve to have you as my teacher. Farewell, my Fronto; what can I call you except my best friend?

, my deservedly dear Fronto. I see through that most subtle ruse of yours, which you indeed hit upon in pure kindness of heart. For not being able to win credit for your praise of me by reason of your signal partiality in my case you sought to make it credible by throwing in some abuse. But happy am I that I am thought worthy of blame no less than of praise by my Marcus Cornelius, greatest of orators and best of men! What shall I say of your letter so kind, so true, so loving?—true, that is, as far as the first part of its contents goes, but for the rest, where you express approval of me, as some Greek, Theophrastus I think, says, the lover is blind to the faults of his loved one , so have you been almost blinded by love in your judgment of some of my work. But so greatly do I value the fact that, though I do not write well, I should yet be praised by you for no desert of mine, but only because of your love for me, of which you have lately sent me such numerous and such happily-worded assurances that, since you wish it, I will be something. At all events, your letter had the effect of making me feel how much you loved me. But as to my despondency, nevertheless, I am still nervous in mind and a little depressed, lest I shall have said something in the Senate to-day, such that I should not deserve to have you as my master. Farewell, my Fronto, my—what shall I say but—best of friends.

ad M. Caesarem 3.18 [50 Hout; 1.106 Haines] Have mi Fronto merito carissime. 1 Intellego istam tuam argutissimam strofam, quam tu quidem benignissime repperisti: Ut quia laudando me fidem propter egregium erga me amorem tuum non habebas, vituperando laudi fidem quaereres. Sed o me beatum, qui a Marco Cornelio meo, oratore maximo, homine optimo, et laudari et reprehendi dignus esse videor! Quid ego de tuis litteris dicam benignissimis, verissimis, amicissimis? Verissimis tamen usque ad primam partem libelli tui; nam cetera, ubi me conprobas, ut ait nescio quis Graecus (puto Thucydides), τυφλοῦται γὰρ τὸ φιλοῦν περὶ τὸ φιλούμενον, item tu apertim meorum prope caeso amore interpretatus es. 2 Sed (tanti est me non recte scribere et te nullo meo merito, sed solo tuo erga me amore laudare, de quo tu plurima et elegantissima ad me proxime scripsisti) ego, si tu volueris, ero aliquid. Ceterum litterae tuae id effecerunt, ut, quam vehementer me amares, sentirem. Sed quod ad ἀθυμίαν meam attine, nihilominus adhuc animus meus pavet et tristiculus est, ne quid hodie in senatu dixerim, propter quod te magistrum habere non merear. Vale, mihi Fronto, quid dicam nisi amice optime.