Letter 68

I commend to you Demetrius of Magnesia, my guest-friend and a man of the greatest learning. I ask you to protect his interests and to treat him with the honor due to his learning, his integrity, and his friendship with me. Whatever services you render him will bind me to you with the greatest obligation.

CDLXXX (Fam. XIII, 68) TO P. SERVILIUS ISAURICUS (IN ASIA) ROME (SEPTEMBER) I was exceedingly obliged by your letter giving me an account of your voyages. For you indicated your recollection of our friendship, than which nothing could be more grateful to my feelings. For the future you will oblige me still more if you will write to me in a friendly way about public affairs, that is, the state of your province, and the details of your administration. Although I shall be sure to hear of these things from many people, considering your distinguished position, nevertheless I should be extremely glad to learn them from a letter of your own. For my part, I shall not often write to you my sentiments on imperial politics owing to the risk of a letter of that kind; but of what is actually being done I will frequently inform you Still I seem to hope that our colleague Caesar will be careful to see that we have a constitution of some kind. It was of great importance that you should take part in his deliberations: but if it is more for your interests, that is, better for your reputation, that you should govern Asia and protect a part of the empire which has suffered from misgovernment, I also am bound to prefer that course which will best serve you and your glory. For my part, I will attend with the greatest zeal and activity to whatever I think likely to be of importance to your position; and first and foremost I will guard with every kind of respectful attention your most illustrious father, as I am bound to do in view of our long standing friendship, of the kindnesses received by me from your family, and of his own noble character.

LXVIII. Scr. Romae mense Septembri a.u.c. 708. M. TULLIUS CICERO P. SERVILIO ISAURICO PROCOS. COLLEGAE SAL. PLURIMAM. Gratae mihi vehementer tuae litterae fuerunt, ex quibus cognovi cursus navigationem tuarum; significabas enim memoriam tuam nostrae necessitudinis, qua mihi nihil poterat esse iucundius. Quod reliquum est, multo etiam erit gratius, si ad me de re publica, id est de statu provinciae, de institutis tuis, familiariter scribes; quae quamquam ex multis pro tua claritate audiam, tamen libentissime ex tuis litteris cognoscam. Ego ad te, de re publica summa quid sentiam, non saepe scribam propter periculum eiusmodi litterarum; quid agatur autem, scribam saepius. Sperare tamen videor Caesari, collegae nostro, fore curae et esse, ut habeamus aliquam rem publicam, cuius consiliis magni referebat te interesse; sed, si tibi utilius est, id est gloriosius, Asiae praeesse et istam partem rei publicae male affectam tueri, mihi quoque idem, quod tibi et laudi tuae profuturum est, optatius debet esse. Ego, quae ad tuam dignitatem pertinere arbitrabor, summo studio diligentiaque curabo, in primisque tuebor omni observantia clarissimum virum, patrem tuum, quod et pro vetustate necessitudinis et pro beneficiis vestris et pro dignitate ipsius facere debeo.