1.XXI.—TO PLINIUS PATERNUS.
Let me acknowledge not only the keenness of your judgment but the sharpness of your eyesight, not because you are full of wisdom—no, don't plume yourself on that—but because you are just as wise as I am, and that is saying a great deal. Yet, joking apart, I think the slaves which I bought on your recommendation are a tidy-looking lot. It now remains to be seen whether they are honest; because in judging the value of a slave, it is better to trust one's ears than one's eyes. Farewell.