Letter 401.2

Fronto to Appius Apollonides. I began to feel affection for Sulpicius Cornelianus, delighted both by the man's character and by his discourses; for he is endowed by nature in the highest degree for eloquence. And I would not deny that with me a friendship formed out of education takes first place; and by education I here mean that of the orators, for this seems to me to be something human, whereas that of the philosophers, let it be something divine. Help, therefore, so far as you are able, Cornelianus, a good man and a friend of mine, a man of letters and no philosopher.

? 157–161 A.D. in the character and eloquence of the man first made me love Sulpicius Cornelianus. For he has the greatest aptitude for eloquence; and I will not deny that the friendship which is grounded on culture takes the highest place with me, and the culture I mean here is that of the orator. For this seems to me to be human; as for Philosophy's, let it be divine. Do your utmost then for Cornelianus, who is a good man and a friend of mine and eloquent and no philosopher.

ad amicos 1.2 [171 Hout; 1.286 Haines] Φρόντων Ἀπ. Ἀπολλωνίδῃ Κορνηλιανὸν Σουλπίκιον φιλεῖν ἠρξάμην ἡσθεὶς τῷ τε τρόπῳ τἀνδρὸς καὶ τοῖς λόγοις. πέφυκεν γὰρ πρὸς λόγους ἄριστα. οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἔξαρνος εἴην τὰ πρῶτα παρ᾽ ἐμοὶ φέρεσθαι τὴν ἐκ παιδείας φιλίαν συσταθεῖσαν· παιδείαν δὲ ταύτην λέγω τὴν τῶν ῥητόρων· αὕτη γὰρ δοκεῖ μοι ἀνθρωπίνη τις εἶναι· τῶν φιλοσόφων θεία τις ἔστω. βοήθησον οὖν τὰ δυνατὰ Κορνη λιανῷ ἀγαθῷ ἀνδρὶ κἀμοὶ φίλῳ καὶ λογίῳ καὶ οὐ φιλοσόφῳ.