do you suppose, have solicited
me to give them a letter of introduction to Statius? How often, do you
suppose, has he himself, while talking without reserve to me, made such
observations as, "I never approved of that," "I told him so," "I tried
to persuade him," "I warned him not to"? And even if these things shew
the highest fidelity, as I believe they do, since that is your judgment,
yet the mere appearance of a freedman or slave enjoying such influence
cannot but lower your dignity: and the long and short of it is--for I am
in duty bound not to say anything without good grounds, nor to keep back
anything from motives of policy--that Statius has supplied all the
material for the gossip of those who wished to decry you; that formerly
all that could be made out was that certain persons were angry at your
strictness; but that after his manumission the angry had something to
talk about.

Now I will answer the letters delivered to me by L. Caesius, whom, as I
see you wish it, I will serve in every way I can. One of them is about
Zeuxis of Blaundus, whom you say was warmly recommended to you by me
though a most notorious matricide. In this matter, and on this subject
generally, please listen to a short statement, lest you should by chance
be surprised at my having become so conciliatory towards Greeks. Seeing,
as I did, that the complaints of Greeks, because they have a genius for
deceit, were allowed an excessive weight, whenever I was told of any of
them making complaint of you, I appeased them by every means in my
power. First, I pacified the Dionysopolitans, who were very bitter:
whose chief man, Hermippus, I secured not only by my conversation, but
by treating him as a friend. I did the same to Hephaestus of Apameia; the
same to that most untrustworthy fellow, Megaristus of Antandrus; the
same to Nicias of Smyrna; I also embraced with all the courtesy I
possessed the most trumpery of men, even Nymphon of Colophon. And all
this I did from no liking for these particular people, or the nation as
a whole: I was heartily sick of their fickleness and obsequiousness, of
feelings that are not affected by our kindness, but by our position.

But to return to Zeuxis. When he was telling me the same story as you
mention in your letter about what M. Cascellius had said to him in
conversation, I stopped him from farther talk, and admitted him to my
society. I cannot, however, understand your virulence when you say that,
having sew