Quintus Aurelius Symmachus→Unknown|c. 373 AD|symmachus
I'd nearly resigned myself to writing you a brief, empty letter — there was nothing worth reporting, and when there's a shortage of news, there's no point in indulging in words. But just in time, a declamation by our rhetorician Palladius expanded my page.
His performance won the approval of the leading literary men, and you shouldn't be kept in the dark about it. Since this kind of report suits both my duty to you and your own interests, I dictated my impressions as soon as the audience broke up, while my excitement was still fresh.
Palladius's speech moved the Latin assembly in the manner of an Athenian guest: with skillful arrangement, rich invention, weighty ideas, and luminous language. I speak from my own judgment: he's as fine a man in character as he is in oratory.
Our Roman colleagues — who frequently disagree among themselves on other matters — were unanimous in their praise of him. I truly believe, and my confidence is not misplaced, that this is what comes of a rhetorical dynasty: genius runs in the blood. It's not just a face or coloring that marks a man as his father's son — nature has surer proofs. The heirs of good thinking and good speaking are born, not made. What others learn through instruction, this man was born with.
I didn't think I should keep this from you, both because I hold nothing back out of love for you, and because I want Palladius's fine qualities to be known. Take care of your health, and since you have every facility for writing, add the will to do it. Farewell.
Paene evenerat, ut tecnm snccincta brevitate loqneremnr, qnoniam deerant digna
memoratn et in defectn remm nihil operae est indnlgere verbis, sed tempestive Palladii 25
rhetoris nostri declamatio anxit paginam meam. ea conplacita summatibns litteramm
clam te esse non debnit. itaqne cnm et meo officio et tuo stndio talis relatio con-
veniret, vix solnto coetn necdum eventilatam auribns nostris anditionis meae fidem
2 indicio calente dictavi. movit Xoyoc Athenaei hospitis Latiare concilinm divisionis arte,
inventionnm copia, gravitate sensnum, Ince verbomm. opinione mea dico : tam probus 30
est oratione qnam moribus. tunc nostrates viri, qui inter se aliamm remm saepe
praeterUbitur (iV) me quaeso istius libelli F 4 amusoteros A, amasos VF iudicare] A, di-
adicare VF{II} pottem] VFA^^ possim A^ 5 utique 8uie ael moribas plarimam F
iproaita V 10 Melone] F^, nilo AfT frigidiorem poH Tanai eoUoe, U scytico VA\ scytbio A^
11 populari] /ure^tM, popalari tiberi ^4^, popali tiberi A^, popalari facino VF^ papalari fucino (/V) red-
disti ii^ masellae (r\2>), mosollae AS^ moseUeo (i7) meata V 12 magna] multa F vX A
certo om, A poemata ementaris (/\P) amnioorum] [r)FA^^ amicorum A^V $ed superter, amnico-
ram A^ 1 m, 13 qaam nomiiiibus] A, qaae nominibas F, qaae non minas V aaria tam] A^ (t in rai,),
uariaU VFA^ ut] et F 14 distanti A^ 15 atqain A praetorio] VUF^r), praetio A»,
precio A^ 16 etsui subiecta A^ istad genus F dependi A^ 17 nati tunt in Ubro F
prestet A adiungam V 19 inberere A^ quoque] qaidem F 20 trabatar F offensi^
parcas F, offentit parcas F(/\P)
23 Symmacbut Ausonio] (//), om, VM 24 penes nenerat V(rfi) 26 ea] VM^ quae (/7)
botpes (/7) 30 tensaum grauitate (//)
dissentinnt, concordem sententiam super huius laude tenuerunt. credo plane, nec fides VMJI
cassa est, rhetorum hanc esse prosapiam; nam [plenum] ingenio genus noscitur. non
solus vultus aut colos adserit posteros in honorem parentum: certiores habet natura
vindicias. bene sentiendi ac bene loquendi gignuntur non scribuntur heredes. quod
& alii docentur, hic natus est. haec apud te, mi domine, silenda non credidi, et quod 3
prae tui amore nihil habeo pensi, et quod vicissim, quanti a te fiam, numquam me
paenitet, ei quod Palladio factum yoIo, ne lateant honesta prolatu. cura ut valeas,
et quia tibi facultas scribendi praesto est, adhibe voluntatem. vale.
XVI (X) a. 376—377.
◆
I'd nearly resigned myself to writing you a brief, empty letter — there was nothing worth reporting, and when there's a shortage of news, there's no point in indulging in words. But just in time, a declamation by our rhetorician Palladius expanded my page.
His performance won the approval of the leading literary men, and you shouldn't be kept in the dark about it. Since this kind of report suits both my duty to you and your own interests, I dictated my impressions as soon as the audience broke up, while my excitement was still fresh.
Palladius's speech moved the Latin assembly in the manner of an Athenian guest: with skillful arrangement, rich invention, weighty ideas, and luminous language. I speak from my own judgment: he's as fine a man in character as he is in oratory.
Our Roman colleagues — who frequently disagree among themselves on other matters — were unanimous in their praise of him. I truly believe, and my confidence is not misplaced, that this is what comes of a rhetorical dynasty: genius runs in the blood. It's not just a face or coloring that marks a man as his father's son — nature has surer proofs. The heirs of good thinking and good speaking are born, not made. What others learn through instruction, this man was born with.
I didn't think I should keep this from you, both because I hold nothing back out of love for you, and because I want Palladius's fine qualities to be known. Take care of your health, and since you have every facility for writing, add the will to do it. Farewell.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.