Letter 179

179. To Arinthaeus

That you are a lover of freedom and a lover of mankind we are well taught both by the nobility of your nature and by your fellow-feeling toward all. We therefore make our appeal with confidence on behalf of a man who is illustrious from of old and through his ancestors, but who deserves still greater honour and respect on his own account, for the gentleness of character that is native to him. We ask, then, that at our request you stand by him as he contends in a lawsuit which, as far as the truth is concerned, is contemptible, but which is otherwise full of peril because of the gravity of the slander. For it would weigh greatly in the balance toward his safety if you would consent to utter some kind word on his behalf — granting it first of all to justice, and then granting in this matter also to us, who are among those especially yours, your accustomed honour and favour.