Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/36

 2 PLINT's l^ATTJEAL HISTOET. [Book I. liis anxiety to show liis friendship for his dear little Veranius and Fahius^. At the same time this my 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 have had the honour of a triumph, and of the censorship, have been six times consul, and have shared in the tribunate ; and, what 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 Prsetorians^ : all this you have done for the service of the Eepublic, 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. You must, therefore, place this to your owTi 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 tlie original are Yaraniolus and Fabullus, wMcli are supposed to have been changed from Yeranius and Fabiiis, as terms of familiarity and endearment ; see Poinsinet, i. 2 i, and Lemaire, i. 4. 2 The narrative of Suetonius may serve to illustrate the observation of Pliny : " Triumphavit (Titus) cima patre, censiu'amque gessit una. Ei- dem coUega et in tribunicia potestate, et in septem consulatibus fuit. E-eceptaque ad se prope omnimn officiorum cm'a, cum patris nomine et epistolas ipse dictaret, et edicta conscriberet, orationesque in Senatu reci- taret etiam qusestoris vice, prsefecturam quoque prEetorii suscepit, nun- quam ad id tempus, nisi ab Equite Romano, admiaistratum." (viii. 5.) ^ " Perfricui faciem." Tliis appears to have been a proverbial expres- sion among the Romans ; Cicero, Tusc. Qua;s. iii. 41, employs " os per- fricuisti," and Martial, xi. 27. 7, "perfricuit frontem," in the same sense.