Letter 106

To my Brother. I asked the young man who brought me some silphium [a prized North African plant, possibly now extinct] from you whether you had grown it yourself or received it as a gift and were sharing it with me. I learned that your own garden, which you tend with such care, had produced it. I am impressed — and grateful. The silphium is excellent.

Letter 106: On Gardening [1] To his Brother I asked the young man who brought me some silphium from you, whether you had grown it yourself, or whether it was a present you had received, a share of which you were passing on to me. I learned from him that your own garden, which you take such care of, yielded you this excellent plant, together with every other sort of fruit. [2] I am doubly rejoiced both on the account of the beauty of this product, and on the account of the reputation your estate enjoys. Go on, then, and make the most of such fertile soil. Never tire of watering your beloved garden beds, and may they never weary of the labors of birth, so that you may have enough for your own use, and may send me whatever the seasons bring forth.