Pliny on Revising and Publishing a Speech

Epist. 1.8.1-3 (LCL, Radice)
To Pompeius Saturninus

Your letter asking me to send you one of my recent compositions reached me at a good moment, when I had just decided to do that very thing. So you have spurred on a willing horse and removed any excuse you had for refusing the trouble of reading my work as well as my scruples about asking you to do so; I can hardly be expected to hesitate about availing myself of your offer, nor can you feel this a burden when you asked for it yourself. All the same, you must not expect anything new from a lazy man like me. I intend to ask you to spare another look at the speech I delivered to my fellow-citizens at the official opening of the library at Comum. I have not forgotten that you have already made some general comments on it, so this time will you please apply your usual critical eye to the details as well as to the work as a whole. I can then revise it before committing myself whether to publish it or suppress it, and possible the very process of revision will force me to make up my mind at last, and frequent rehandling will either show the speech is not yet fit for publication or actually make it so.