To Priscianus. (360)
You ask how things stand with us, and I wish I could report only good news. The school flourishes, in the sense that students come and learn and some of them show genuine promise. But the times press hard on all of us, and there are days when the clamor of public affairs nearly drowns out the voice of the lecture hall.
Still, I have reason to be grateful. The young men you recommended have proven themselves worthy of your judgment -- which is to say, they are serious, industrious, and not entirely without talent. One of them in particular has a natural gift for the kind of elaborate period that marks the truly accomplished speaker. I am watching him with interest.
As for the political news, I will not commit too much to a letter. You know how things stand: those who should be governing are not, and those who are governing should not be. The eternal complaint, you will say, and you would be right. But there are degrees, and the present degree is steep.
I send you two new speeches, which I hope you will read with the generous eye of friendship rather than the cold eye of criticism. If you find anything to praise, I shall be pleased. If you find much to correct, I shall not be surprised -- only disappointed that my hand could not match my ambition.
You ask how things stand with us, and I wish I could report only good news. The school flourishes, in the sense that students come and learn and some of them show genuine promise. But the times press hard on all of us, and there are days when the clamor of public affairs nearly drowns out the voice of the lecture hall.
Still, I have reason to be grateful. The young men you recommended have proven themselves worthy of your judgment -- which is to say, they are serious, industrious, and not entirely without talent. One of them in particular has a natural gift for the kind of elaborate period that marks the truly accomplished speaker. I am watching him with interest.
As for the political news, I will not commit too much to a letter. You know how things stand: those who should be governing are not, and those who are governing should not be. The eternal complaint, you will say, and you would be right. But there are degrees, and the present degree is steep.
I send you two new speeches, which I hope you will read with the generous eye of friendship rather than the cold eye of criticism. If you find anything to praise, I shall be pleased. If you find much to correct, I shall not be surprised -- only disappointed that my hand could not match my ambition.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.