Letter 198: After the letter conveyed to me by the officiales I have received one other dispatched to me later. I have not sent many myself, for I have not found any one travelling in your direction. But I have sent more than the four, among which also were those conveyed to me from Samosata after the first epistle of your holiness.

After the letter brought to me by the government couriers, I have received one more dispatched later. I have not sent many of my own, since I could not find anyone traveling in your direction. But I have sent more than the four you know of -- including those forwarded to me from Samosata after your first letter. These I sealed and sent to our respected brother Leontius, the tax assessor at Nicaea, asking him to pass them to the steward of our brother Sophronius's household for transmission to you. Since my letters pass through so many hands, it is likely enough that one busy or careless person along the way means your reverence never receives them. Forgive me, then, if they seem few. With your usual perceptiveness you have rightly faulted me for not sending my own courier when the occasion demanded it. But you must understand: we have had a winter of such severity that every road was blocked until Easter, and I could find no one willing to brave the journey. Our clergy may seem numerous, but they are men with no experience of travel -- they never engage in commerce and prefer to stay close to home, most of them working at sedentary trades for their daily bread. The brother I am now sending has been summoned from the countryside for the purpose of carrying this letter to your holiness, so that he can both give you a clear report of my situation and, God willing, bring back prompt and plain news of yours.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata. After the letter conveyed to me by the officiales I have received one other dispatched to me later. I have not sent many myself, for I have not found any one travelling in your direction. But I have sent more than the four, among which also were those conveyed to me from Samosata after the first epistle of your holiness. These I have sealed and sent to our honourable brother Leontius, peræquator of Nicæa, urging that by his agency they may be delivered to the steward of the household of our honourable brother Sophronius, that he may see to their transmission to you. As my letters are going through many hands, it is likely enough that because one man is very busy or very careless, your reverence may never get them. Pardon me, then, I beseech you, if my letters are few. With your usual intelligence you have properly found fault with me for not sending, as I ought, a courier of my own when there was occasion for doing so; but you must understand that we have had a winter of such severity that all the roads were blocked till Easter, and I had no one disposed to brave the difficulties of the journey. For although our clergy do seem very numerous, they are men inexperienced in travelling because they never traffic, and prefer not to live far away from home, the majority of them plying sedentary crafts, whereby they get their daily bread. The brother whom I have now sent to your reverence I have summoned from the country, and employed in the conveyance of my letter to your holiness, that he may both give you clear intelligence as to me and my affairs, and, moreover, by God's grace, bring me back plain and prompt information about you and yours. Our dear brother Eusebius the reader has for some time been anxious to hasten to your holiness, but I have kept him here for the weather to improve. Even now I am under no little anxiety lest his inexperience in travelling may cause him trouble, and bring on some illness; for he is not robust. 2. I need say nothing to you by letter about the innovations of the East, for the brothers can themselves give you accurate information. You must know, my honoured friend, that, when I was writing these words, I was so ill that I had lost all hope of life. It is impossible for me to enumerate all my painful symptoms, my weakness, the violence of my attacks of fever, and my bad health in general. One point only may be selected. I have now completed the time of my sojourn in this miserable and painful life.

[Πρός: Εὐσεβίῳ, ἐπισκόπῳ Σαμοσάτων.] Μετὰ τὴν ἐπιστολήν, τὴν διὰ τῶν ὀφφικιαλίων κομισθεῖσαν ἡμῖν, μίαν ἄλλην ἐδεξάμην μετὰ ταῦτα πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀποσταλεῖσαν. αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐπεστείλαμεν, οὐ πολλὰς μέν, διὰ τὸ μηδὲ ἐπιτυχεῖν τῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀφικνουμένων, πλὴν πλείους τῶν τεσσάρων, ἐν αἷς καὶ τὰς ἀπὸ Σαμοσάτων κομισθείσας ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τοῖς πρώτοις γράμμασι τῆς σῆς θεοσεβείας ἐσφραγισμένας διεπεμψάμεθα τῷ αἰδεσιμωτάτῳ ἀδελφῷ Λεοντίῳ τῷ ἐξισωτῇ τῆς Νικαίας, παρακαλέσαντες δι’ ἐκείνου τῷ φροντίζοντι τῆς οἰκίας τοῦ αἰδεσιμωτάτου ἀδελφοῦ Σωφρονίου ἀποκομισθῆναι, ὥστε ἐκεῖνον ἐπιμεληθῆναι τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς διακομιδῆς. ἐπεὶ οὖν πολλὰς διαβαίνουσι χεῖρας αἱ ἐπιστολαί, εἰκὸς τὴν παρὰ ἕνα ἀσχολίαν ἢ ῥᾳθυμίαν αἰτίαν γενέσθαι τοῦ μὴ ὑποδέχεσθαι τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν. ὥστε συγγνώμην ἔχε, παρακαλοῦμεν, τῇ σπάνει τῶν γραμμάτων. Τὸ δέ, ὅτι ἀποστεῖλαί τινα δέον ἐξ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἐποιήσαμεν τοῦτο, αὐτὸς μὲν τῇ σεαυτοῦ συνέσει ὀρθῶς ἐπεζήτησας καὶ καθήψω ἡμῶν· γίνωσκε δὲ τὸν παρʼ ἡμῖν χειμῶνα τοσοῦτον γεγενῆσθαι, ὥστε πάσας μὲν ὁδοὺς ἐγκλεισθῆναι μέχρι τῶν ἡμερῶν τοῦ Πάσχα, μηδένα δὲ ἡμᾶς ἔχειν τὸν εὐθαρσῶς πρὸς τὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ δυσχερῆ διακείμενον. καὶ γάρ, εἰ καὶ πολυάνθρωπόν πως εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ ἱερατεῖον ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ ἀνθρώπων ἀμελετήτως ἐχόντων πρὸς τὰς ὁδοιπορίας, διὰ τὸ μήτε ἐμπορεύεσθαι μήτε τὴν ἔξω διατριβὴν αἱρεῖσθαι, τὰς δὲ ἑδραίας τῶν τεχνῶν μεταχειρίζεσθαι τοὺς πολλούς, ἐκεῖθεν ἔχοντας τὴν ἀφορμὴν τοῦ ἐφημέρου βίου. αὐτίκα καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦτον, ὃν νῦν ἀπεστείλαμεν πρὸς τὴν εὐλάβειάν σου· ἐκ τῆς χώρας μεταστειλάμενοι, ἐχρησάμεθα αὐτῷ διακόνῳ τῶν πρὸς τὴν σὴν ὁσιότητα γραμμάτων, ἵνα καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα σαφῶς διαγγείλῃ, καὶ τὰ αὐτόθεν ἡμῖν ἐναργῶς καὶ ταχέως τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι διακομίσῃ. καὶ τὸν ποθεινότατον ἀδελφὸν Εὐσέβιον τὸν ἀναγνώστην πάλαι ἐπειγόμενον πρὸς τὴν σὴν θεοσέβειαν ἐπέσχομεν, τὸ τῶν ἀέρων εὐκραὲς ἀναμένοντες. καὶ νῦν μέντοι ἐν φροντίδι οὐ τῇ τυχούσῃ εἰμί, μήποτε αὐτῷ τὸ περὶ τὰς ὁδοιπορίας ἄηθες ξενισμὸν ἐμποιήσῃ, καὶ ἀρρωστίας αἰτίαν παράσχῃ τῷ σώματι εὐαφόρμως ἔχοντι πρὸς τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Τὰ μέντοι καινοτομηθέντα περὶ τὴν ἀνατολὴν περιττὸν ἡμᾶς ἐστι διὰ γραμμάτων σημαίνειν. αὐτῶν τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀκριβῶς δυναμένων ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν διαγγεῖλαι. γίνωσκε δέ, τιμιωτάτη μοι κεφαλή, ὅτι ἡνίκα ταῦτα ἐπέστελλον, οὕτω διεκείμην φαύλως, ὥστε πάσας με λοιπὸν τοῦ ζῇν τὰς ἐλπίδας ἐπιλελοιπέναι. καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ ἐξαριθμήσασθαι δυνατὸν τῶν ἐπιγινομένων μοι συμπτωμάτων τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ τὴν ἀσθένειαν, καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν πυρετῶν, καὶ τὴν κακοήθειαν ὁποῖα· πλὴν ὅτι ἐκ πάντων ἓν τὸ συναγόμενον, πληρῶσαι ἡμᾶς λοιπὸν τὸν χρόνον τῆς παροικίας τοῦ δυστήνου τούτου καὶ ὀδυνηροῦ βίου.