prays of him--you know what an abject coward he is when he is
frightened--as follows. "Do go," says he, "and call on Pliny in the
morning--early in the morning, for my suspense is unbearable--and do
what you can to remove his anger against me." I was early awake that
day, when a message came from Spurinna, "I am coming to see you." I
sent back word, "I will come and see you." We met at the portico of
Livia, just as we were each of us on the way to see the other. He
explained his commission from Regulus and added his own entreaties, but
did not press the point too strongly, as became a worthy gentleman
asking a favour for a worthless acquaintance. This was my answer:
"Well, you must see for yourself what message you think best to take
back to Regulus; I should not like you to be under any misapprehension.
I am waiting till Mauricus returns"--he had not yet returned from exile-
-"and so I cannot give you an answer either way, for I shall do just
what he thinks best. It is he who is principally interested in this
matter, I am only secondarily concerned." A few days afterwards Regulus
himself met me when I was paying my respects to the new praetor. He
followed me thither and asked for a private conversation. He said he
was afraid that something he once said in the Court of the Centumviri
rankled in my memory, when, in replying to Satrius Rufus and myself, he
remarked, "Satrius Rufus, who is quite content with the eloquence of our
days, and does not seek to rival Cicero." I told him that as I had his
own confession for it I could now see that the remark was a spiteful
one, but that it was quite possible to put a complimentary construction
upon it. "For," said I, "I do try to rival Cicero, and I am not content
with the eloquence of our own time. I think it is very stupid not to
take as models the very best masters. But how is it that you remember
this case and forget the other one in which you asked me what I thought
of the loyalty of Metius Modestus?" As you know, he is always pale, but
he grew perceptibly paler at this thrust. Then he stammered out, "I put