To the same person. (359)
You will hear many people praise this man Parthenius, and you will neither disbelieve them nor object that he does not deserve good treatment. I have not added this letter because their words will be insufficient, but because it would have been shameful for me alone to be silent about him. For when I had long prayed for just such an opportunity on his behalf, how could I fail to seize it now that it has come?
I care about Parthenius for the sake of his native city's just claims, and I care about him because he is the most important of my friends. His uncle was Eusebius, and so it is clear that any help I give this man is also a tribute to the one who has passed on. But even apart from all that, his own character makes him worthy of attention. He would walk through fire to help a friend, yet he would stand firm to stop a friend from making a mistake. He does not know how to flatter, but he can offer honest criticism. His intelligence is sufficient to escape unjust dangers, and the charm of his nature brightens any gathering. He is more practiced at spending money than at receiving it.
I can testify to this from my own experience of his conduct toward me.
**To the same person.** (359)
You will hear many words of praise for this man Parthenius from many people, and you will neither disbelieve them nor object that the man does not deserve to be treated well. I have not added this letter on the grounds that those testimonials will prove insufficient, but because it would have been shameful for me alone to remain silent about him. For when an occasion I had been praying for has at last arrived, how could it not be a wrong to fail to make use of it on his behalf?
I care about Parthenius both on account of the just claims of our homeland and because he is the foremost of my friends. His uncle was Eusebius, and it is plain that whatever help I give to the living man, I bestow as a gift upon the departed. But even apart from these considerations, his character alone makes him worthy of your attention. He is a man who would walk through fire to help a friend, yet who will stand firm in restraining a friend from error — incapable of flattery, but free in his reproach. Through his intelligence he is able to escape dangers he does not deserve; through the charm of his nature he makes any gathering more pleasant; and he practices giving money away rather than taking it.
Of this I myself am witness, having learned it from experience in his dealings with me.
A man of whom such things can be said would, I believe, even if set over cities, preserve that same devotion and shut the mouths of those who are eager to find fault.
For my part, then — since I have authority only to pray and not to act — I offer my prayers for Parthenius, to whom such blessings are fitting by ancient right of his ancestors. But those who hold the power to act — it falls to them to make the prayer a reality.
You will hear many people praise this man Parthenius, and you will neither disbelieve them nor object that he does not deserve good treatment. I have not added this letter because their words will be insufficient, but because it would have been shameful for me alone to be silent about him. For when I had long prayed for just such an opportunity on his behalf, how could I fail to seize it now that it has come?
I care about Parthenius for the sake of his native city's just claims, and I care about him because he is the most important of my friends. His uncle was Eusebius, and so it is clear that any help I give this man is also a tribute to the one who has passed on. But even apart from all that, his own character makes him worthy of attention. He would walk through fire to help a friend, yet he would stand firm to stop a friend from making a mistake. He does not know how to flatter, but he can offer honest criticism. His intelligence is sufficient to escape unjust dangers, and the charm of his nature brightens any gathering. He is more practiced at spending money than at receiving it.
I can testify to this from my own experience of his conduct toward me.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.