Quintus Aurelius Symmachus→Unknown|c. 400 AD|symmachus
The splendor of your eloquence is nothing new to me. But your recent speech — suited to great affairs, its glory adapted to the majesty of what you put in writing — has raised still higher the reputation you'd already won through your teaching.
Beyond the rhetorical ornaments that nature has lavished on you, there was something mature in your delivery, perfectly suited to senatorial ears: gravity of thought and precision of language. Even those whose literary taste runs to the rough-hewn admit that your eloquence belongs more in the Senate chamber than the theater. And those who prefer the high style — the elevated language and the painted structures of fine prose — celebrate you equally, finding in your work neither dour heaviness nor frivolous charm, but both at once [Text breaks off in source.]
Non incognito quidem nobis eloquii splendore nituisti, sed magnis rebus adcom-
modam et maiestatis scriptis aptatam gloriam, quam magisterio ante quaesisti, recens 20
auxit oratio. nam praeter loquendi phaleras, quibus te natura ditavit, senile quiddam
planeque conveniens auribus patrum gravitate sensuum verborum proprietate sonuisti.
denique etiam hi, quorum Minerva rancidior est, non negant, facundiam tuam curiae
magis quam caveae convenire; at illi, quos cothumus altior vehit et structurarum
pigmenta delectant, neque tristem soliditatem neque lascivum leporem consona laude 25
2 celebrarunt. haec sunt enim condimenta tui oris et pectoris, quod nec gravitate hor-
res nec venustate luxurias, sed ratione fixus ac stabilis germanos colores rebus ob-
ducis. nolo igitur exspectes iudicium meum, ne amore delinquam. quid varia inge-
nia senserint, intimavi. fuit enim in illa oratione, quod unusquisque diligeret et pro
ingenii sui qualitate laudaret. quare sequere coepta felicia et te in omnibus aemu- 30
lare. nobis ad testimonium religionis satis est non siluisse sententiam ceterorum. vale.
2 om. VM
bendo F nt] et K 13 sic] si FF 14 acoedere] luretua^ accendere PVPPF quoniam F
15 quam] qnod V
oommodam Af, adcommoda PV sed magnis rebus adcommodo et maiestatis scriptis apto; tamen glo-
riam Suse 20 sriptis V aptatem] VF^, ad totam P, aptam M 21 faleras PV 22 plane-
quae PV 24 euenire V ad P i m. coturnus PVM structurarum] P 2 m. Minras.^
histructurarum P 1 m. VF^ 25 picmenta V dilectant P 27 luxorias P 1 m. 29 ra-
tione (f) 30 laudaret et V
LXXXX (LXXXIUI) .
◆
The splendor of your eloquence is nothing new to me. But your recent speech — suited to great affairs, its glory adapted to the majesty of what you put in writing — has raised still higher the reputation you'd already won through your teaching.
Beyond the rhetorical ornaments that nature has lavished on you, there was something mature in your delivery, perfectly suited to senatorial ears: gravity of thought and precision of language. Even those whose literary taste runs to the rough-hewn admit that your eloquence belongs more in the Senate chamber than the theater. And those who prefer the high style — the elevated language and the painted structures of fine prose — celebrate you equally, finding in your work neither dour heaviness nor frivolous charm, but both at once [Text breaks off in source.]
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.