Letter 302.7

To Verus Augustus, my lord. 1. How great and how old is the familiarity between me and Gavius Clarus, I think, my lord, that you remember. For I have so often spoken to you about him, and from the sentiment of my own heart. Nor do I think it beside the point to remind you of it, mindful though you are. 2. From his earliest age Gavius Clarus cared for me as an intimate, not only in those services by which a senator lesser in age and rank duly honors and earns the goodwill of a senator higher in rank and older than himself, but little by little our friendship advanced to the point that it neither irked him nor shamed me that he should render to me those obediences which clients, which faithful and laborious freedmen perform - and this through no arrogance of mine nor flattery of his, but our mutual affection and true love took away from both of us all reluctance in regulating these services. 3. Why should I recall the affairs in the forum, the least and the greatest of mine, that were managed by him? Or that, at home, whatever I wished anywhere rightly shut up or sealed or attended to or completed, I entrusted and confided to this man alone? 4. But - what my foster-son could scarcely have endured - he was always so devoted to the care of my health, and gave at every time such great effort, that he even kept watch over me when I was sick, and, when through ill health I could not use my own hands, he brought food to my mouth with his own hand. Finally, if anything that befalls our common humanity should happen to me while Victorinus and my lord brother were absent, I charged this man with seeing to the due rites for my body. And even with them present, I wished my body to be handled by this man above all, so that less grief might reach my brother and my son-in-law from any contact with my body. 5. These are the claims that exist between me and Gavius Clarus. Now I, if my family estate were more abundant, so that nothing should be lacking for the easy bearing of a senator's duties, would come to his aid with every resource, nor would I ever allow him, for the sake of this business, to set out across the sea. As it is, both our own means, otherwise ample, and his rather narrow poverty have compelled me to drive him out, against his will, into Syria, to pursue the legacies which fell to him in the will of a man most dear to him. 6. This poverty befell my dear Clarus through no fault of his own, but he received the enjoyment of no goods, either paternal or maternal: he was his father's heir only to this end, that he might with difficulty satisfy his father's creditors. For the rest, by thrift and by dutiful services and by frugality he discharged the burdens of the quaestorship and the aedileship and the praetorship. Indeed, when your deified father, during Clarus's absence, had paid out from your treasury the expense of his praetorship, as soon as Clarus, his health restored to him, returned to the city, he repaid the whole sum to your treasury. 7. Nothing is more dutiful than that man, nothing more modest, nothing more bashful. Generous too, if you believe me at all, even in such slenderness of means; as far as his circumstances allow, open-handed; simplicity, chastity, truthfulness, a fidelity plainly Roman - but a warmth of natural affection, perhaps, not Roman: indeed, in my whole life I have found nothing less at Rome than a man sincerely warm in natural affection; so that I think that, because in actual fact no one at Rome is warm in natural affection, not even the name for this virtue is Roman. 8. This man, my lord, I commend to you with the greatest entreaties I can; if ever you loved me, or ever will love me, I ask that you protect this man, handed over by me to your good faith and your help. Perhaps you will ask what, on his behalf <..> [several pages are missing]

To my Lord Verus Augustus. 1. How great and long-standing is the intimacy which subsisted between me and Gavius Clarus is well known, I think, my Lord, to you. So often have I spoken of him from the fulness of my heart before you. Nor does it seem to me amiss to remind you of this, well as you remember it. 2. From his earliest years Gavius Clarus devoted himself to me as a personal friend, not only in those good offices with which a senator, lesser in age and rank, rightly honours and deserves well of another senator, higher in rank and older than himself. But gradually our friendship reached such a stage that, without dislike on his part or shame on mine, he could pay me the deference of a client, the respect that is shewn by faithful and diligent freedmen: this not from any arrogance on my part or servility on his, but our mutual affection and genuine love did away with any reluctance for either of us in the regulation of our duties. What need for me to mention his attention to my affairs in the forum, the least equally with the greatest; or at home, when I wished anything anywhere duly closed or sealed or attended to or completed, how I entrusted and confided it to him alone. 3. But, though my foster child would hardly shew such complaisance, he always devoted such attention to my health, was so unsparing, too, at all times of himself, that when I was sick he even sat up with me, and when rheumatism deprived me of the use of my hands he was wont to put the food to my mouth with his own hand. Lastly, I commissioned him to see to it that my body had its due rites, if in the absence of Victorinus and my good brother anything happened to me such as must to all men. Even if they should be on the spot, I wished my body to be handled by him rather than by any other, that my brother and my son-in-law might be spared the pain of touching my body. 4. These are the terms on which Gavius Clarus and I stand. Now, if my means were more ample, I would help him to the utmost of my power to enable him to discharge the duties of a senator in comfort, nor should I ever allow him to cross the sea on his present errand. As it is, both the moderate nature of my means and his straitened circumstances have forced me to banish him against his will into Syria to secure the legacies which have come to him under the will of a very dear friend. 5. This want of means has been the lot of my friend Clarus from no fault of his own*, for he received no benefit from either his father's or his mother's estate; the only result of his being his father's heir was that he found difficulty in paying his father's creditors. But by economy and attention to duty and frugality he discharged all his obligations as quaestor, aedile, and praetor, and whereas your deified father paid out from your privy purse the expenses of his praetorship in his absence, as soon as ever Clarus recovered his health and came back to Rome he paid in the whole amount to the imperial treasury. 6. Nothing can be more conscientious than the man, nothing more reasonable, nothing more unassuming; generous also, if I am any authority, and considering the slenderness of his resources as open-handed as his means permit. His characteristics, simplicity, continence, truthfulness, an honour plainly Roman, a warmth of affection, however, possibly not Roman, for there is nothing of which my whole life through I have seen less at Rome than a man unfeignedly φιλόστοργος . The reason why there is not even a word for this virtue in our language must, I imagine, be, that in reality no one at Rome has any warm affection. 7. This is the man, my Lord, whom I commend to you with the strongest appeal possible. If ever you have loved me, or wish ever to love me, I beg that you will befriend him whom I commit to your trust and protection. Perhaps you will ask what I wish you to do for him . . . .

ad Verum Imp. 1.6 [110 Hout; 2.150 Haines] Vero Augusto domino meo. 1 Quanta et quam vetus familiaritas mihi intercedat cum Gavio Claro, meminisse te, domine, arbitror. Ita saepe de eo apud te ex animi mei sententia sum fabulatus. Nec ab re esse puto memorem te tamen admonere. 2 A prima aetate sua me curavit Gavius Clarus familiariter non modo iis officiis, quibus senator aetate et loco minor majorem gradu atque natu senatorem probe colit ac promeretur, sed paulatim amicitia nostra eo processit, ut neque illum pigeret neque me puderet ea illum oboedire mihi quae clientes, quae liberti fideles ac laboriosi obsequuntur nulla hoc et mea insolentia aut illius adulatione, sed mutua caritas nostra et amor verus ademit utrique nostrum in officiis moderandis omnem detrectationem. 3 Quid ego memorem negotia in foro nostra minima maximaque ab eo curata? Aut domi quod uspiam recte clausum aut obsignatum aut curatum aut confectum quid vellem, me uni huic mandasse et concredidisse? 4 Sed quod alumnus meus aegre toleraret, valetudine meae curandae ita semper studuit, tantam omni tempore etiam operam dedit, ut excubaret etiam aegro mihi et, ubi meis ego uti manibus per valetudinem non possem, manu sua cibos ad os meum adferret. Postremo, si quid humanitas absente Victorino et domino fratre meo mihi accidisset, huic justa corpori meo curanda mandavi. Praesentibus etiam illis ab hoc potissimum corpus meum contrectari volui, quo minus doloris ad fratrem et generum meum ex contactu ullo corporis mei perveniret. 5 Haec mihi cum Gavio Claro jura sunt. jam ego, si res familiaris mihi largior esset, ne quid ad senatoris munia facile toleranda deeset, omni ope subvenirem neque umquam ego hujus negotii causa eum trans mare proficisci paterer. Nunc et nostrae res ahud copiosae et hujus paupertas artior me compulerunt, ut eum invitum expellerem in Suriam ad legata, quae ei in testamento hominis amicissimi obvenerunt persequenda. 6 Quae paupertas Claro meo nulla ipsius culpa obtigit, sed neque paterna ulla neque materne bona fruenda percepit: Eaque fine heres patri fuit, ut creditoribus paternis aegre satisfaceret. Ceterum parsimonia et officiis et frugalitate onera quaestoria et aedilicia et praetoria perfunctus est. Cui quidem per absentiam ejus divus pater vester sumptum praeturae de fisco vestro cum expendisset, ubi primum in urbem Clarus reconsciliata sibi valetudine rediit, omne fisco vestro persolvit. 7 Nihil isto homine officiosius est, nihil modestius, nihil verecundius. Liberalis etiam, si quid mihi credis, et in tnata tenuitate; quantum res patitur, largys, simplicitas, castitas, veritas, fides Romana plane, φιλοστοργία vero nescio an Romana: Quippe qui nihil minus in tota mea vita Romae repperi quam hominem sincere φιλόστοργον; ut putem, quia reapse nemo sit Romae φιλόστοργος, ne nomen quidem huic virtuti esse Romanum. 8 Hunc tibi, domine, quantis possum precibus commendo, si umquam me amasti sive amaturus umquam es, hunc a me fidei tuae atque opi traditum tuearis peto. Quaeras fortasse, quid pro eo <..> [plures paginae desunt]