Letter 85

Pliny the YoungerTrajan|c. 112 AD|pliny younger

To Trajan.

Sir, I have found Maximus, your freedman and procurator, all the time we have been together, a man of probity, industry, and diligence, and as devoted to discipline as he is eager to prosecute your interests, and I gladly, therefore, bear witness to you of his worth, as is my duty.

[86a] L To Trajan.

Sir, I can recommend to you most heartily, as it is my duty to do, Gabius Bassus, the prefect of the coast of Pontus, as an upright, honest, and diligent public servant, and as one who has showed me the greatest respect.

[86b] L To Trajan.

* . . . He has been trained in military service under your standard, and he owes the fact that he is worthy of your favour to the training he there received. The soldiers and country people around me have learned to trust his justice and humanity, and they have vied with one another in giving him public and private testimonials of their regard. These facts I bring before your notice as I am in duty bound to do.

[Note: The beginning of this letter has been lost.]

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.

Related Letters