To Bassianus. (360?)
All good things to you, finest of young men, because what the laws have taken such care to establish regarding parents -- that they should be looked after by their children -- you have demonstrated toward your teacher. I was not unaware of what you wrote to your grandmother about the admirable Cleobulus, asking that your own estate be opened to him.
Having learned this myself, I was hardly going to keep such a fine deed quiet. The whole city is full of talk about your generosity, and we still have Cleobulus among us -- a man who would certainly have flown away if you were not who you are.
So carry on, dear friend, just like this -- so that you may be praised and live with the hope of even better things. The Muses have already given you no small reward: they say that everyone, from every direction, is drawn to the love of eloquence. And that gift is truly from the daughters of Memory [the Muses, children of Mnemosyne].
All good things to you, finest of young men, because what the laws have taken such care to establish regarding parents -- that they should be looked after by their children -- you have demonstrated toward your teacher. I was not unaware of what you wrote to your grandmother about the admirable Cleobulus, asking that your own estate be opened to him.
Having learned this myself, I was hardly going to keep such a fine deed quiet. The whole city is full of talk about your generosity, and we still have Cleobulus among us -- a man who would certainly have flown away if you were not who you are.
So carry on, dear friend, just like this -- so that you may be praised and live with the hope of even better things. The Muses have already given you no small reward: they say that everyone, from every direction, is drawn to the love of eloquence. And that gift is truly from the daughters of Memory [the Muses, children of Mnemosyne].
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.