Gaius Plinius to his friend Montanus : Greetings

(1) As you know from my last letter, I recently saw the monument of Pallas with this inscription: The senate decreed the praetorian ornaments and 15,000,000 HS for this man on account of his extraordinary loyalty and pietas towards his patrons. He was content with the honor. (2) I then decided that it might be worth the effort to look up the actual decree of the senate. I found it so effusive and verbose that the arrogant inscription seemed moderate and humble by comparison. If all the Africani, Achaici, Numantini, and I will not speak only of the ancient, but even more recent characters such as the Marii, Sullae and Pompeys (I will not go on any longer) should put themselves altogether, they would still fall short of the praise of Pallas. (3) Should I think that the people who voted on this were witty or wretched? I would say witty, if wit was appropriate for the senate, I would say wretched, but I have no idea how wretched one would have to be that he could be compelled to say this sort of thing. Maybe it was ambition and a desire to get ahead? But who could be so insane that he would want to get ahead through his own and the state's disgrace in a state in which the reward for the highest office is to be the first person in the senate to be able to praise Pallas?

(4) I pass over the fact that praetorian ornaments were offered to the slave Pallas (since they were offered by slaves) I pass over the fact that they voted that he should not just be encouraged, but actually compelled to wear a golden ring, for it would lower the dignity of the senate if an ex-praetor wore the iron ring of a slave. (5) This trivialities may be ignored, what must stand on record is that the senate, on behalf of Pallas (the senate house has not subsequently been purified), that the senate gave thanks to Caesar on behalf of Pallas because he spoke about him with the highest honor and gave the senate the chance to testify to their appreciation of him.

(6) What could be more pleasant for the senate than that it should seem to be sufficiently grateful to Pallas? It was added, "that Pallas, to whom all say that they are obliged with the best of their ability, has received the most justly deserved reward for his singular faith and industry." You would think that he had extended the borders of the empire, or that he had brought the armies of the state home again. (7) And there follows that, "since there will be no more gratifying occasion for the Roman senate and people to display their generosity that if it should be able to add to the resources of the most abstemious and faithful manager of the emperor's wealth." This then was the prayer of the senate, this was the particular joy of the people, this was the most pleasant material for demonstrating liberality: that the fortune of Pallas should be increased by wasting public money.

(8) What next? The senate wished that he be given 15,000,000 HS from the treasury and, since his soul was so far removed for all desires of this sort, the senate should ask all the more fervently that the Father of the state should compel him to accede to the wishes of the senate. (9) The only thing that was missing was for Pallas to be approached on public authority, for Pallas to be begged to accede to the wishes of the senate, that Caesar himself, the patron of that arrogant abstinence, should make the request in person that he should not spurn 15,000,000 HS. (10) Pallas did reject it: the only thing that he could have done that was more arrogant than to accept so much money from the public treasury was to reject it. The senate took this with further praises, though this time couched with a complaint, in these words, "that when the best emperor and Father of the State, was asked by Pallas that the part of the decree of the senate that pertained to giving him 15,000,000 HS from the public treasury, be rescinded, the senate states that it bestowed this amount freely and with good reason amongst the other honors that it voted because of Pallas' faith and diligence, and since it felt that it was not right to oppose the will of the emperor in any manner, he ought to obey him in this manner as well.

(11) Can you imagine Pallas, vetoing, as it were, a decree of the senate, moderating his own honors, refusing 15,000,000 HS as too much, and taking praetorian insignia as being of less importance! Imagine the emperor obedient to the prayers, or rather, the orders, of his freedman before the senate (for the freedman ordered his patron that he should make this request in the senate)! (12) Imagine the senate going so far as to asset that it offered this sum, amongst other honors, freely and deservedly to Pallas, and that it would persevere if it did not have to bow to the will of the emperor, whom it was not right to oppose in any way. So, in order that Pallas not take 15,000,000 HS out of the public treasury, it took his modesty, and the obedience of the senate, which would not have happened in this case, if it had not been thought right to disobey on any point.

(13) You think that this is all? Hold on and hear some more. "Since it will be a good thing that the generous promptness of the emperor to praise and reward deserving people be known everywhere, and especially in those places where those who are entrusted with the management of affairs might be incited to imitation, and where outstanding loyalty and innocence, as exemplified by Pallas should be able to encourage zeal for honest emulation, that those things that the emperor had said before a full meeting of the senate on January 23, and the decrees of the senate that had been passed in subsequent meeting, should be inscribed on bronze and that the bronze tablet should be erected next to the armored statue of the Divine Julius." (14) It was not enough for the senate house to be witness to these disgraceful events, but a very public place was chosen, in which these events would be published so that they could be read by contemporaries and members of future generations. It was decreed that all the honors of this dutiful slave should be inscribed on bronze, along with those that he had refused, and those that he took up in so far as those voting them had the power to do it. The praetorian ornaments of Pallas were cut and inscribed on a public monument for all time just like ancient treaties, just as if they were sacred laws. (15) So far did the emperor, so far did the senate, so far did the—I don't know what to call it—of Pallas go that they wished to display the insolence of Pallas, the subservience of Caesar and the humiliation of the senate for all to see. Nor were they ashamed to find a reason for their wretched conduct, a wonderful and beautiful reason, that others would be encouraged by the example of Pallas with enthusiasm for rewards and emulation. (16) Honors, even those that Pallas did not refuse, were to be cheap. Nevertheless, people of good family could be found who competed for and desired those very honors that they saw given to freedmen and promised to slaves.

(17)How glad I am that I did not live in those days, I would be ashamed if I had. I don't doubt that you feel the same way since I know what a lively and freeborn mind you have got it has been easier for me, even though I have allowed my indignation in places to go beyond the accepted limits of a letter, you will know that I have grieved less rather than too much. Farewell