Letter 1066: I know you value people for their character, not their rank.
I know you value people for their character, not their rank. My friend Romanus still serves in the imperial administration as an officer of the sacred treasury, but his qualities of integrity would suit any level of public honor. His official standing is shared with many; his moral standing, with very few.
I mention this so that you'll judge him by the quality of his life, not by his grade of service. Test him in the most demanding situations, test him in serious matters and in lighter ones: you'll find his loyalty discreet, his conscience open, his judgment independent, and his modesty generous.
I want this to happen for two reasons: so that my recommendation proves credible, and so that you gain a friend of refined integrity.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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.
Latin / Greek Original
Scio te non fortunarum sed meritorum habere dilectum. Romanus familiaris meus 20
aulicis etiam nunc paret ofGciis utpote sacri administer aerarii, sed instrumenta pro-
bitatis in quemvis usum publici honoris excoluit. quare dignitas illi est promiscua
cum plurimis, honestas aequa cum paucis. quod eo memorandum putavi, ut a te quo-
que pro ratione vitae non pro gradu militiae censeatur. fac periculum maximis in
negotiis, fac in seriis remissisve muneribus: reperies hominis tectam fidem patentem 25
religionem prudentiam liberam verecundiam liberalem. cui ego propterea factum volo,
ut mei testimonii fides clareat, tibi amicus limatae probitatis accedat.
LXI (LV) a. 368—383.
Related Letters
Many people speak well of Sexio's record as former governor of Calabria, and for that reason they've asked me to...
As I reported in my previous letter, my health was struck down on arrival -- whether by bad water or the change of...
You have written to me requesting that I meet with you.
Even if the heresy of Montanus was unknown to you until now, as you write, it has long been known to the Church —...
(Verianus, a citizen of Nazianzus, had been offended by his son-in-law, and on this account wished his daughter to sue for a divorce. Olympius referred the matter to the Episcopal arbitration of S. Gregory, who refused to countenance the proceeding, and writes the two following letters, the first to the Prefect, the second to Verianus himself.) ...