Ma'ximus, Me'ssius
one of the most intimate friends of the younger Pliny, seems to have been a native of Verona, and certainly possessed considerable influence in the neighbourhood of that town, to which his wife belonged. (
Plin. Ep. 2.14.) Hence Pliny recommends to him Arrianus, of Altinum, a town near Venice (3.2). Maximus was subsequently sent into Achaia to arrange the affairs of the free towns in the province, on which occasion Pliny addressed him a letter, in imitation of Cicero's celebrated epistle to his brother Quintus, to teach him how he ought to discharge the duties of his new appointment (8.24). Maximus was an author, and one of his works is praised by Pliny in the most extravagant terms (4.20). Pliny appears to have frequently consulted hint respecting his own literary compositions.
The following letters of Pliny are addressed to Maximus: 2.14, 3.2, 20, 4.20, 25, 5.5, 6.11, 34, 7.26, 8.19, 24, 9.1, 23.
