Pliny’s basic practice in Books i-ix was to introduce a single topic in each of his published letters, but this letter to Sempronius Rufus seems to include two items connected only by the chance appearance of Junius Mauricus in both anecdotes. The first concerns the presence of Pliny and Mauricus as members of a consilium principis, and was surely written soon after the event, since Pliny was very proud of consiliar attendance. The second concerns a dinner party given by Nerva at a time earlier than 104-105, the date of the letter