M. CORNELIUS FRONTO
Fronto to Marcus Aurelius as Caesar
To my Lord.
All is well with us since your wishes are for us, for there is no one who deserves more than you to win from the Gods fulfilment of his prayers, unless I should rather say that, when I pray for you, there is no one who deserves more than you the fulfilment of prayers offered on your behalf. Farewell, most sweet Lord. Greet my Lady.
Fronto to his own Caesar.
. . . . unless speech is graced by dignity of language, it becomes downright impudent and indecent. In fine you too, when you have had to speak in the Senate or harangue the people, have never used a far-fetched word,[1] never an unintelligible or unusual figure, as knowing that a Caesar's eloquence should be like the clarion not like the clarionet, in which there is less resonance and more difficulty.
Marcus Aurelius to Fronto
Hail, my best of masters.[2]
What, am I to study while you are in pain, above all in pain on my account? Shall I not of my own accord punish myself with every kind of penance? It were only right, by Hercules. For
- ↑ cp. Thoughts, viii. 30, and below, Ad Ant. i. 1.
- ↑ This would seem to be an early letter, in spite of its position in the Codex.
