Letter 1093: The splendor of your eloquence is nothing new to me.

You have shone with a brilliance of eloquence by no means unknown to us; but a recent oration has freshly increased the glory you earlier won through your teaching, a glory suited to great matters and fitted to writings worthy of majesty. For besides the trappings of speech with which nature has enriched you, you have sounded out something venerable and altogether suited to the ears of the fathers, by the gravity of your thoughts and the propriety of your words. In short, even those whose wit is somewhat rancid do not deny that your eloquence befits the senate-house more than the theater; while those whom a loftier buskin carries along and whom the ornaments of constructions delight have celebrated, with harmonious praise, neither its severe solidity nor its playful charm. For these are the seasonings of your tongue and your heart, in that you neither shrink in dread from gravity nor run riot in elegance, but, fixed and steady by reason, you lay genuine colors upon your subjects. I do not wish you, therefore, to await my judgment, lest I err out of affection. What various talents have felt, I have intimated to you. For there was in that oration something which everyone would cherish and would praise according to the quality of his own talent. Wherefore follow up your auspicious beginnings and rival yourself in all things. For us, as testimony of our regard, it is enough not to have kept silent the opinion of the rest. Farewell.

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) .