Letter 2029: When you vouch for a good man, you recommend your own judgment as much as you help his cause.
Whoever intervenes on behalf of excellent men seems not so much to advance their interest as to commend his own judgment. Therefore, in following up the wishes of my brother Maximus with these letters, I am of service to him not so much as I gain praise for myself. For he is alike distinguished in life and in the learning of the liberal disciplines, and second to none of the foremost philosophers, and on that account most worthy of your friendship. When he, having been sent on the matter, has settled his business with you, I beg that, with the kindness for which you are renowned, you may follow up his just requests with help ungrudgingly given.
[XXX, A.D. 389.]
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Pro optimis viris quisquis intervenit, non magis illomm videtur iuvare commodum
quam suum commendare iudicium. quare in eo, quod fratris mei Maximi desideria
20 litteris prosequor , non tam illi usui sum , quam mihi laudi est. est enim vita atque
eruditione liberalium disciplinamm pariter insignis neque ulli praestantium philoso-
phorum secundus ac propterea tua familiaritate dignissimns. cuius tibi negotia cum
in rem missus absolverit, quaeso, nt humanitate, qna clams es, iustas petitiones in-
gravato auxilio prosequaris.
25 XXX a. 389.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern symmachus retranslated v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://archive.org/details/qaureliisymmach00seecgoog
Related Letters
You tempt me with talk of the Campanian coast, but here at our Praenestine estate [near modern Palestrina, in the...
I had thought that my many admonitions and encouragements had added some measure of endurance to your spirit.
The excellent Theotecnus has given mean account of your highness, whereby he has inspired me with a longing for your acquaintance, so clearly do his words delineate the character of your mind. He has enkindled in me so ardent an affection for you, that were it not that I am weighed down with age, that I am the victim of a congenital ailment, tha...
You're certainly well-supplied with counsel and prepared for every situation — a man of your wisdom and cultivation...