able to stay and he was spared to us. The consequence was that I
committed to memory many disquisitions of his, as well as many
short pointed apophthegms, and, in short, took as much advantage
of his wisdom as I could. When he died, I attached myself to
Scaevola the Pontifex, whom I may venture to call quite the most
distinguished of our countrymen for ability and uprightness. But
of this latter I shall take other occasions to speak. To return to
Scaevola the augur. Among many other occasions I particularly
remember one. He was sitting on a semicircular garden-bench, as
was his custom, when I and a very few intimate friends were there,
and he chanced to turn the conversation upon a subject which
about that time was in many people's mouths. You must
remember, Atticus, for you were very intimate with Publius
Sulpicius, what expressions of astonishment, or even indignation,
were called forth by his mortal quarrel, as tribune, with the consul
Quintus Pompeius, with whom he had formerly lived on terms of
the closest intimacy and affection. Well, on this occasion,
happening to mention this particular circumstance, Scaevola
detailed to us a discourse of Laelius on friendship delivered to
himself and Laelius's other son-in-law Galus Fannius, son of
Marcus Fannius, a few days after the death of Africanus. The
points of that discussion I committed to memory, and have
arranged them in this book at my own discretion. For I have
brought the speakers, as it were, personally on to my stage to
prevent the constant "said I" and "said he" of a narrative, and to
give the discourse the air of being orally delivered in our hearing.

You have often urged me to write something on Friendship, and I
quite acknowledged that the subject seemed one worth everybody's
investigation, and specially suited to the close intimacy that has