2 plint's katijbal history. [Book I 
his anxiety to show his friendship for his dear little Vemnius 
and Fahius^, At the same time this mj importunity may 
effect, what you complained of my not having done in an- 
other too forward epistle of mine ; it will put upon record, 
and let all the world know, with what kindness you exercise 
the imperial dignity. You, who haye had the honour of a 
triumph, and of the censorship, have been six times consul, 
and have shared in the tribunate ; and, v^hat is still more 
honourable, whilst you held them in conjunction with your 
Father, you have presided over the Equestrian order, and 
been the Prefect of the Pr8Dtoi*ians^ : all this you have done 
for the service of the ^Republic, and, at the same time, have 
regarded me as a fellow-soldier and a messmate. Nor has 
the extent of your prosperity produced any change in you, 
except that it has given you the power of doing good to the 
utmost of your wishes. And whilst all these circumstances 
increase the veneration which other persons feel for you, 
with respect to myself, they have made me so bold, as to wish 
to become more familiar. Tou must, therefore, place this 
to your own account, and blame yourself for any fault of this 
kind that I may commit. 
But, although I have laid aside my blushes^, I have not 
gained my object ; for you still awe me, and keep me at a 
distance, by the majesty of your understanding. In no one 
does the force of eloquence and of tribunitian oratory blaze 
out more powerfully ! With what glowing language do you 
thunder forth the . praises of your Father ! How dearly do 
you love your Brother ! How admirable is your talent for 
poetry ! What a fertility of genius do you possess, so as to 
^ These names in the original are Yaraniolus and Fabullus, which are 
supposed to have been changed from Yeranins and Fabius, as terms of 
familiarity and endearment ; see Poinsinet, i. 24, and Lemaire, i. 4. 
2 The narrative of Suetonius mav serve to illustrate the observation of 
tj 
PUny : " Triumphavit (Titus) cum patre, censuramque gessit una. Ei- 
dem coUega et in tribunicia potestate, et in septem consulatibus fuit. 
Keceptaque ad se prope omnium officiorum cura, cum patris nomine et 
epistolas ipse dictaret, et edicta conscriberet, orationesque in Senatu reci- 
taret etiam qusestoris vice, prsefecturam quoque prsetorii suscepit, nun- 
quam ad id tempus, nisi ab Equite Romano, administratum." (viii. 5.) 
2 " Perfricui faciem." This appears to have been a proverbial expres- 
sion among the Romans ; Cicero, Tusc. Quaes, iii. 41, employs " os per- 
fricuisti," and Martial, xi. 27. 7, "perfricuit frontem," in the same sense. 
