Marcus Cornelius Fronto→Unknown|c. 161 AD|Marcus Cornelius Fronto|From Rome (career hub)|AI-assisted
To friends 1.3 [172 van den Hout; 1.278 Haines]
Fronto to Lollianus Avitus, greeting.
1. Licinius Montanus -- and may I embrace you safely returned, an oath by which my own welfare and yours are bound up equally -- I love so dearly that I would not lightly set anyone of those with whom I share the bonds of hospitality above my own Montanus. As often as he came to Rome, he was my housemate and made use of my home. We always shared one table; in short, there was between us a sharing and partnership in almost all our affairs and counsels.
2. I should wish you to show him as much honor as you would expect another to bestow upon your own guest, housemate, and counselor. [...] My Montanus is a great devotee of the good arts; moreover he is of refined learning and eloquence, though I am aware that I am too partial to him through my own craft, since he himself has preferred nothing to the study of eloquence [...] the art of eloquence [...] and of affairs [...] eloquence holds the most ancient place of distinction [...] I confess [...] to be [...] but the order [...] [the legible text breaks down into scattered words and cannot be construed: ...] from the utmost resources of your kindness; but he has asked for nothing [...] except what is upright and honorable, both for you to grant and for him to request [...]
3. Terentius Vanus has long been a close friend of mine and is dear to me among the very few; our long-standing virtue and life together has given us very many occasions for mutual good offices and has brought us very many grounds [...] [the legible text breaks down into scattered words and cannot be construed: ... custom and ... my lord ... full ... exemption ... and such-like ... of gifts ... if anyone ... at Rome ... than my ... a Roman senator ... and many ... endowed with the most ample ... lost ...]
4. [...] my lord and son, [...] [the legible text breaks down into scattered words and cannot be construed: ... by hunger and ... without ... frugal, upright, affectionate (philostorgos), since for that quality there is no name among the Romans ... he took much ... he wrote much, and he was so far requesting a refuge, on the coast in short, those just things; therefore it is not the sea but the air that he is desirous of, and ...] [a long stretch is wholly illegible: ...]
5. I hear that some are speaking mockingly of his having been drawn away, grieving, from my company, because, seized as he is by an ailment of the chest, it seems in earnest that under a most favorable climate he might be able to return from his native Cirta -- which I would have you wish to come about. Since I, for my part, love him among the very few, see to it that you enjoy him as one dear to me, that you receive him in person and tend to him with kindly care and bring him the greatest help by your friendly counsels. I desire that, after attending to your guest's welfare, you examine his bodily health rather often.
6. Greet our friends, both the decurions and the knights, and among the household gods [...] [the closing words are corrupt and cannot be construed: ... so you have dined ... you will sow, you will have shaped ...]
? 157–161 A.D. to Lollianus Avitus, greeting. Licinius Montanus—"so may I have you safe back in my arms," and this is an oath which equally involves my weal and yours—is one whom I love so dearly that there is no one of those, who have shared my home with me, whom I could easily prefer to my Montanus. As often as he came to Rome he was my guest, my house was at his disposal, he always shared my table; in fact there was between us a community and fellowship in almost all our acts and counsels. Please pay him such attention as you would expect to be shewn by another to your intimate friend, the sharer of your home and your counsels. My Montanus is devoted to all letters and noble accomplishments, besides being a man of learning and cultured eloquence. Although I feel that I am biased in favour of my own craft, because he has himself preferred nothing to the study of eloquence . . . . . . . . With me eloquence holds the most honoured place . . . . From your utmost stores of good-nature grant . . . . He has asked nothing, as was to be expected of his modesty, except what is right and honourable for you to give and for him to ask . . . . Worthy, upright, rich in natural affection, a quality for which the Romans have no word . . . . . . . . He indeed asks for a health resort on the coast, and lastly those reasonable adjuncts. Consequently it is not the sea but the air that he is desirous of . . . . The most eloquent of all, such is your nobleness . . . . I hear that some speak captiously of his having been torn away with grief and reluctance from my home-circle, because seized as he was with an affection of the chest, there seemed a real possibility that the extreme salubrity of the climate would enable him to return from his native city Cirta. Pray that it may be so. Since I love him for my part as I do very few, please use him as one who is dear to me, welcome him when he comes and win his love with your gracious care for him and give him the best of help with friendly counsel. Afterwards I desire you often to test the health and condition of your guest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ad amicos 1.3 [172 Hout; 1.278 Haines]
Fronto Lolliano Avito salutem.
1 Montanum Licinium (ita te reducem complectar, quo jurejurando mea tuaque salus aeque continetur) sic diligo, ut non temere quamquam eorum, quiscum mihi hospitii jura sunt, Montano meo anteponam. Quotiensquomque Romam venit, in meo contubernali fuit, meis aedibus usus est. Una nobis mensa semper, postremo omnium paene rerum consiliorumque communicatio et societas fuit.
2 Huic tantum honorem haberi a te velim, quantum tuo hospiti, contubernali, consiliari tributum ab altero postulares c . . . . . . . p . . . artium bonarum magnus sectator est meus Montanus, tum doctrina etiam et facundia est eleganti, etsi sentio me meo artificio nimium favere ei, quod ipse nihil studiis eloquentiae antetulerit, magis . . e . . nihio . ars eloquentiae ho . . . . due . . t et rerum e . . . . . m et n . . . nihio ars eloquentiae ho . . . . due . . t et rerum e . . . . . m et n . . . s . . . o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . . . ret . . . . . . . . . et te . . . . . . tuus re . . . . . . . . . . . . . tia . . . ae . . . . . . . . . b qua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inc . . . . . . . . . . cestus . . . . . . res . . . . . quo . . . . . . eae . . . . . . . . . . . . . sus. . . . . . . . . . art . . . . . . . . . . a . . n . . aere . . . . . . . . . . . . as . antiquissimum locum laudis eloquentia possidet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sae . . . e fateor . . . . . esse, sed ordinem . . e . . . . . . . . sset . . . . . . . . . et . . . ed . . . . . . . od . . . es . . . t . . pes . . ones ille s . tonn . . tat s . i quam . . . . . . . . . . . bes tam s . . . . . . sere neque . . . . . . . entius aper . . . . s . nus atque e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ali . . . . quisquis . . s . . . . . . . hos odium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . m ob honorem . . . . . . . . . . ax d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . locum quis . . . . . . . m . . . . is . . . . sces . . . . . . est neque talis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n . . . . . . ex summis benignitatis opibus nihil autem postulavit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . . . . . . . . nisi quod probum honestumque sit et tibi datu et sibi postulatu . . . . . . . . ne nullis . . . a . mis . . . . . . nis . . . . .
3 Terentius Vanus olim mihi familiaris et inter paucissimos carus est; longa virtus et nostrum vita plurimas occasiones officiorum nobis dedit plurimasque causas adtulit m . . . o . . . e sunt dico mos et ad . . ic . . t . . tias . . . domine praeterquam plenas ner . . ista pro ro . . . . . . etalesinmis quam . . . . . . . . . . . . dine sed ut lum . . . ta eaeninens . . . ded . . . . saes . . . . immunitas . . . . . . . ejusmodi . . . . sum ac munerum . . . . . tas si quis sutempustier Rom . . . . . . . . . sen . . . . . . . . . . easuberit quam meus . . . . . . . senator Romanus consub . . . . . enere . . . . . et multi ho . . . . . . . sus sae . . . . . . amplissimis praeditus se . . . . h . . . . . . . . . l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ner . . . . . illarum . . em . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . et n . . . ci . . . . . . . . arum harum . . . . . . is amisso.
4 A mise . . . domine fili, . . . . um moe . . que . . . . . . . que . . . . . . . rem . . . . . . . . . um ad . . . . pris . . . . . egun fame et ele . . e . . . . . . . . . . . sine . . . . frugi, probum, philostorgum prae . . . . eu . . . sos eum, quoniam ejus rei nomen apud Romanos nullum est . . . ineus . . . . . . em multum cape . . . me . . . . l . . multum scripsit, multum is adeo postulabat asylum in ora denique justas res istas; igitur non maris, sed aurae cupidus est is et die . . . plenda tali . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . let. 5 Cavillantes eundem audio aegre abstractum tristem contubernio meo, quod pectoris valetudine correptus laetissimo caelo posse redire ab Cirta patria serio videatur, quod ut fiat optes. Cum eum inter paucissimos ultro amem, fac mihi caro fruaris, eum praesentem accipias et propitia curas ambias et auxilium summum ei amicis consiliis feras. Post hospitis salutem corpusque examines saepius cupio.
6 Saluta nostros amicos et decuriones et equites et inter Lares: Ita cenobatus es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tu seris finxeris . . .
◆
To friends 1.3 [172 van den Hout; 1.278 Haines]
Fronto to Lollianus Avitus, greeting.
1. Licinius Montanus -- and may I embrace you safely returned, an oath by which my own welfare and yours are bound up equally -- I love so dearly that I would not lightly set anyone of those with whom I share the bonds of hospitality above my own Montanus. As often as he came to Rome, he was my housemate and made use of my home. We always shared one table; in short, there was between us a sharing and partnership in almost all our affairs and counsels.
2. I should wish you to show him as much honor as you would expect another to bestow upon your own guest, housemate, and counselor. [...] My Montanus is a great devotee of the good arts; moreover he is of refined learning and eloquence, though I am aware that I am too partial to him through my own craft, since he himself has preferred nothing to the study of eloquence [...] the art of eloquence [...] and of affairs [...] eloquence holds the most ancient place of distinction [...] I confess [...] to be [...] but the order [...][the legible text breaks down into scattered words and cannot be construed: ...] from the utmost resources of your kindness; but he has asked for nothing [...] except what is upright and honorable, both for you to grant and for him to request [...]
3. Terentius Vanus has long been a close friend of mine and is dear to me among the very few; our long-standing virtue and life together has given us very many occasions for mutual good offices and has brought us very many grounds [...][the legible text breaks down into scattered words and cannot be construed: ... custom and ... my lord ... full ... exemption ... and such-like ... of gifts ... if anyone ... at Rome ... than my ... a Roman senator ... and many ... endowed with the most ample ... lost ...]
4. [...] my lord and son, [...][the legible text breaks down into scattered words and cannot be construed: ... by hunger and ... without ... frugal, upright, affectionate (philostorgos), since for that quality there is no name among the Romans ... he took much ... he wrote much, and he was so far requesting a refuge, on the coast in short, those just things; therefore it is not the sea but the air that he is desirous of, and ...][a long stretch is wholly illegible: ...]
5. I hear that some are speaking mockingly of his having been drawn away, grieving, from my company, because, seized as he is by an ailment of the chest, it seems in earnest that under a most favorable climate he might be able to return from his native Cirta -- which I would have you wish to come about. Since I, for my part, love him among the very few, see to it that you enjoy him as one dear to me, that you receive him in person and tend to him with kindly care and bring him the greatest help by your friendly counsels. I desire that, after attending to your guest's welfare, you examine his bodily health rather often.
6. Greet our friends, both the decurions and the knights, and among the household gods [...][the closing words are corrupt and cannot be construed: ... so you have dined ... you will sow, you will have shaped ...]
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
ad amicos 1.3 [172 Hout; 1.278 Haines] Fronto Lolliano Avito salutem. 1 Montanum Licinium (ita te reducem complectar, quo jurejurando mea tuaque salus aeque continetur) sic diligo, ut non temere quamquam eorum, quiscum mihi hospitii jura sunt, Montano meo anteponam. Quotiensquomque Romam venit, in meo contubernali fuit, meis aedibus usus est. Una nobis mensa semper, postremo omnium paene rerum consiliorumque communicatio et societas fuit. 2 Huic tantum honorem haberi a te velim, quantum tuo hospiti, contubernali, consiliari tributum ab altero postulares c . . . . . . . p . . . artium bonarum magnus sectator est meus Montanus, tum doctrina etiam et facundia est eleganti, etsi sentio me meo artificio nimium favere ei, quod ipse nihil studiis eloquentiae antetulerit, magis . . e . . nihio . ars eloquentiae ho . . . . due . . t et rerum e . . . . . m et n . . . nihio ars eloquentiae ho . . . . due . . t et rerum e . . . . . m et n . . . s . . . o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . . . ret . . . . . . . . . et te . . . . . . tuus re . . . . . . . . . . . . . tia . . . ae . . . . . . . . . b qua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inc . . . . . . . . . . cestus . . . . . . res . . . . . quo . . . . . . eae . . . . . . . . . . . . . sus. . . . . . . . . . art . . . . . . . . . . a . . n . . aere . . . . . . . . . . . . as . antiquissimum locum laudis eloquentia possidet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sae . . . e fateor . . . . . esse, sed ordinem . . e . . . . . . . . sset . . . . . . . . . et . . . ed . . . . . . . od . . . es . . . t . . pes . . ones ille s . tonn . . tat s . i quam . . . . . . . . . . . bes tam s . . . . . . sere neque . . . . . . . entius aper . . . . s . nus atque e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ali . . . . quisquis . . s . . . . . . . hos odium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . m ob honorem . . . . . . . . . . ax d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . locum quis . . . . . . . m . . . . is . . . . sces . . . . . . est neque talis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n . . . . . . ex summis benignitatis opibus nihil autem postulavit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . . . . . . . . nisi quod probum honestumque sit et tibi datu et sibi postulatu . . . . . . . . ne nullis . . . a . mis . . . . . . nis . . . . . 3 Terentius Vanus olim mihi familiaris et inter paucissimos carus est; longa virtus et nostrum vita plurimas occasiones officiorum nobis dedit plurimasque causas adtulit m . . . o . . . e sunt dico mos et ad . . ic . . t . . tias . . . domine praeterquam plenas ner . . ista pro ro . . . . . . etalesinmis quam . . . . . . . . . . . . dine sed ut lum . . . ta eaeninens . . . ded . . . . saes . . . . immunitas . . . . . . . ejusmodi . . . . sum ac munerum . . . . . tas si quis sutempustier Rom . . . . . . . . . sen . . . . . . . . . . easuberit quam meus . . . . . . . senator Romanus consub . . . . . enere . . . . . et multi ho . . . . . . . sus sae . . . . . . amplissimis praeditus se . . . . h . . . . . . . . . l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ner . . . . . illarum . . em . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . et n . . . ci . . . . . . . . arum harum . . . . . . is amisso. 4 A mise . . . domine fili, . . . . um moe . . que . . . . . . . que . . . . . . . rem . . . . . . . . . um ad . . . . pris . . . . . egun fame et ele . . e . . . . . . . . . . . sine . . . . frugi, probum, philostorgum prae . . . . eu . . . sos eum, quoniam ejus rei nomen apud Romanos nullum est . . . ineus . . . . . . em multum cape . . . me . . . . l . . multum scripsit, multum is adeo postulabat asylum in ora denique justas res istas; igitur non maris, sed aurae cupidus est is et die . . . plenda tali . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . let. 5 Cavillantes eundem audio aegre abstractum tristem contubernio meo, quod pectoris valetudine correptus laetissimo caelo posse redire ab Cirta patria serio videatur, quod ut fiat optes. Cum eum inter paucissimos ultro amem, fac mihi caro fruaris, eum praesentem accipias et propitia curas ambias et auxilium summum ei amicis consiliis feras. Post hospitis salutem corpusque examines saepius cupio. 6 Saluta nostros amicos et decuriones et equites et inter Lares: Ita cenobatus es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tu seris finxeris . . .