Letter 9033: Although I know that modesty is kin to virtue, I nevertheless wished to find in the letters of your highness an...

[Symmachus to Theodosius the elder] Although I know that modesty is kin to virtue, I nevertheless looked, in the letter of Your Highness, for an abundance befitting the glory of those very great deeds: first, because friendship demanded that, before one who loves you, you should not fear the blemish of boastfulness; and next, because, ready alike in hand and in speech, you ought to have endowed the credit of your own exploits with the honor of the tongue. As it is, you refer me to common report and offer your ear to the rumors about yourself, although the dignity of so great an affair requires a witness equal to it; but you, secure in your own mind, entrusted your merit to the public voice, content with truth in place of praise. Africa, then, has recovered from her sickness, surely through the healing counsel of our unconquered princes, whose remedy you were. For those who are skilled in medicine, once they have already, through practice, been raised to the rank of master and have become veterans of the art, are wont to give orders to their juniors and, with hand at rest, to aid the treatment by their precepts. Your palm of victory, therefore, is the glory of the times; of which I would speak more fully and more indulgently, were I not deferring to your singular modesty and taking every precaution for myself, lest, having just now been praised by Your Excellency, I should seem to have returned the favor at interest. This is what they call "mules scratching one another in turn." That I may not seem akin to this proverb, I restrain the heralding of your virtues with closed teeth, leaving it to your own distinguished conscience to weigh both what you yourself deserve—under whose leadership the province, friendly to me, breathes again—and what I owe to you, whose fame, with such a witness, will never yield to envy. Farewell. [Year] 376. To Gratian Augustus. I know that it was done out of the affection with which you commonly deem your foremost men worthy, that I was employed as the reader of your sacred address; but since I perceive that that discourse outshines in every way the other rescripts, whatsoever the Senate has heard down to this point, I judge that I too was rated more highly than the rest. For to great affairs, just as to great comedies, polished actors are assigned: the same honor in delivering plays did not belong to Publius [Pellio?] as to Ambivius, nor did equal fame attend Aesopus and Roscius. Wherefore, most excellent princes, what you decide well concerning me, I embrace as offered by divine favor. Your praise, lord Gratian, is my duty, since you are so disposed that, when you perform the cure of the commonwealth, you summon the service of my voice. You have restored the public disorders to us into tranquillity. It very nearly came about that we should all perish, so great were the outrages those men had committed who possessed the highest powers by evil arts. That ferocious Maximinus, on account of his successes—a hoverer over the courts, hard to settle in quarrels, ready to enter into them—by capital punishment atoned for the destructions and tears of all. Now man shines forth again to man; the Senate [...]

Etsi scio, esse virtuti cognatum pudorem, desideravi tamen in litteris celsitudinis tuae copiam maximarum rerum gloriae congruentem; primo quod amicitia postulabat, 30 ut apud amantem tui naevum iactantiae non timeres, dehinc quod aeque manu et ore 5 tuo uncis ineltui 8 om. {F) 9 praetoria donam nouum] /7, praetura Lectiu8y domum nostram cod. Pithoei 1 1 im- pellit {F) 12 Cyriacum] cod. Pithoei, byriacum (77) placita] ego, inciU 77 24 — 26 Q. Anrelii Symmachi cpistolarum lib. x. continens epistolas famiUares ad Imperatores, sententias Senatorias et opuscula: editus post eius obitnm a Q Flauio Memmio Symmacho VC. (77) 28 Symmacbus Tbeodosio seniori] (77), om, F 29 uirtuti esse F^ 30 quod] quidem F^ 31 nouum /7 iactantcm F^ dehiuc] de me F^ ore] oratione F^ LIBER Vnn. X. 277 promptus fldem gestorum tnomm debueras linguae honore dotare. nnnc me ad famas F reicis et smis aurem de te praebere rumoribus, cum tanti negotii dignitas parem testem requirat; sed qui animi mei securus es, meritum tuum voci publicae credidisti contentus veritate pro laude. ergo Africa revaluit ex morbo sane invictornm prin- 2 5 cipum medente • consilio , quorum remedium tu fuisti. solent enim , qui medicinam callent) cum iam exper^ usu in magisterium provehuntur ac fiunt artis emeriti, proxi- mis imperare et feriata manu curationem iuvare praeceptis. tna igitur palma laus tempomm est; de qua ego plene et indulgentins loquerer, nisi obsequerer singulari verecundiae tuae et mihi oppido praecaverem, ne laudatus proxime ab excellentia 10 tua feneratam gratiam viderer retulisse. hoc est quod aiunt: mutuum scabere mulos. 3 cui proverbio ne videar esse conflnis, praeconia virtutum tuarum presso dente re- stringo praeclarae conscientiae tuae pendendum relinquens, quid vel ipse merearis, cuius ductu provincia mihi amica respirat, vel quid ego tibi debeam, cuius fama sub tali teste numquam succumbet invidiae. vale. 15 II a. 376. GRATIANO AVGVSTO. U Scio amore factum, quo summates viros plemmque dignamini, ut sacrae orationi vestrae lector adhiberer; sed cum intellego, sermonem illum praenitere omnimodo rescriptis aliis, qnaecunque ad hoc locomm senatus audivit, me quoque arbitror pluris 20 habitnm esse qnam ceteros. magnis enim negotiis itidem ut magnis comoediis ede- cumati adponuntur actores: non idem honor in pronuntiandis fabulis Publi/to Pellioni qnt Ambtvio fuit, neqne par Aesopo et Roscio fama processit. quare, optimi prin- 2 cipes, quae in me bene consultatis, ut divinitns oblata conplector. laus tua, domine Gratiane, officium est meum, quoniam ita animatus es, ut cum reip. medicinam facis, 25 operam meae vocis accersas. tu nobis pnblicas turbas in tranquillum redegisti. mi- xAmum re^titit, quin omnes occumberemus, tantum flagitii dissignaverant, qui amplis- simas potestates malis artibus possidebant. ferox ille Maximinns ob res secundas, 3 incubator iudiciomm, difficilis decidendis simultatibus, promptus | ineundis, poena ca- F pitali exitia cunctomm lacrimosque expiavit. nunc interlncet hdmo homini; senatus iubes F de te praebeie nimoribus] /7, romoribns de te praebere Fi*', de te ramoribas praebere F^ ergo] eo F^ reualuit] D, reuoluitur F ex] pro F^ sane] (i7), cm, F in uictoriam F2, inuicto FS 5 quorum] quo F^ medianam F3 6 experti] tgo, forti /7, forte F usui Fi prouenitur F^ artis emerlti] /7, emeriti offlcii F 7 imperare] Lyptiut, impetrare F seriata Fi, f.racta F2 curatione F*, curata F2 praeceptis] 77, om. F 8 temporum] exemplo F^ plane (T^) nisi obsequerer] (77), om. F 9 et] (77), nisi F praecauerem] F^, praeuaricarem Fi-2 10 tua] Lypshu^ tuae F foeneratam 77, fameratam FF uiderer] 77, uldear FF est] au- tem F3 mutuum] nimium F2 scribere F3 mulos] Lyp$kUf aemulos F 11 afilnis F^ restringo] F, perstringo 77 12 tuae pendendum relinquens] (77), relinquens pendendum F quod Fi uelut F3 mercaris F» 13 ductus F» quod F8 tibi] (^), om. F famae culus F* 18 praenitere] (T^), praemittere (77), praeminere Afercer 19 reacriptia] eyo, descriptis (77) 21 Pu- blio PoUioni (77), cf, Commmtationea Mommsenianaa p. 800 22 qui Ambiuio] lurtUu, quam bauio 77 et Roseio] QuilidmiM, et ruscio r*, ethrusco 77 24 quoniam] (77), quando (T^ 25 minimum re- stitit] ego, minima res stetit (77), minimo stetit (T^) 28 promptus simulque restituas 77r, aequiiuf p. 269, 11 ' 273, 24 ; alieta epUttdae para deerat in II, in FF epiitulae 142 libri VII II adnexa tet; mem- hra disieeta coniunxit Suse ineundis] (7^, inenndam F> 2 m. F^, in eundem F^, ineunda F^ i m. poena] ego, om. FF capitali] F, capituli F 29 exitia] e^o, exitio F cunctorum lacrimas- que] tgo, cunctorum lacrimisque T^, lacrimisque cunctonim F expiauit] F, exples F homo] Fi*^, hoo F^