Letter 67: The man delivering this letter to you is a decent person who took on business from which others would have profited,...

To Florentius. (359) The man who is delivering this letter to you is a fair and decent person, who, in matters from which it was possible to make a profit, presided over them not for profit. I myself have often called upon him as an ally, and nowhere have I found him slack. And indeed I urged him to do the opposite of the proverb, and to mount upon horses, leaving the mules behind [literally: "to the horses from the mules"]. So do you become master over this for us as quickly as possible, and make the man a cavalryman. You will say that I, in putting him to the test, do not know how to praise even bad men.

**To Florentius** (359) The man who delivers this letter to you is a decent fellow, one who has taken charge of affairs from which he might have profited, yet not for profit's sake. I have called upon him as an ally on many occasions and have never once found him idle. Indeed, I have urged him to reverse the proverb and go from the donkeys to the horses. And you, my lord, must make this man a knight as swiftly as possible. Once you have tested him, you will say that I do not know how to praise bad men.

Φλωρεντίῳ. (359) Ἀνήρ ἐστιν ἐπιεικὴς ὁ διδούς σοι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν καὶ πραγμάτων ἀφ’ ὦν ἦν κερδαίνειν οὐκ ἐπὶ κέρδει προστάς. ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτὸν πολλαχοῦ μὲν ἐκάλεσα σύμμαχον, εὗρον δὲ οὐ- δαμοῦ ῥᾴθυμον. καὶ παρῄνεσά γε αὐτῷ τοὐναντίον ποιῆσαι τῇ παροιμίᾳ καὶ ἐφ’ ἵππους ἀπὸ τῶν ἴνων. σὺ δ’ ἡμῖν κυ- ριος ὡς τάχιστα Μαὶ τὸν ἄνδρα ἱππέα. φήσεις δέ με πεῖραν αὐτοῦ λαμβάνων ὡς οὐκ οἶδα ἐπαινεῖν κακούς.