Commentary on the Dream of Scipio; Saturnalia

...runt. He had enough to edit speech that was composed, rhythmical, flowing appropriately, and—which is the greatest virtue—perspicuous. He left the glory of word-choice either to his successors, that they might occupy that as it were vacant region, or certainly to the ancients, that they might possess it as their own. Let these things be said, most excellent Rhamnusius, lest Macrobius—who must henceforth be considered more corrected through our labor—be sent into the hands of men dishonored altogether. That many more and better things could have been said on both sides, this does not escape me, nor do I think it escapes any other person. If, however, even these things, whatever they may be, have satisfied at least you alone, then I have certainly done as I wished; if, on the contrary, they do not seem acceptable even to you, a most learned man, I have done as I could, and, as the saying goes, to the best of my strength; the letter certainly could not contain more.

Compare this Index of ours, Candid Reader, with others that have been printed before this day: you will see how well your interests have been served by our labors. For you will find it not only more copious, but also, without any error of numbers, consistent and faithful. It will never send you anywhere without your finding there what you were looking for. The letter 'a' signifies the first page of the folio, and 'b' the latter.