Letter 66

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.

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.