Letter 473: Tabetheus asks Tiberianus to handle losses and settlement after her son's violence.

Tabetheus sends very many greetings to Claudius Tiberianus, her brother. Before anything else, I pray that you are well, and I make obeisance for you before lord Souchos [the crocodile god worshiped in the Fayyum]. I was glad that you sent my son so that I could greet him, but the damaged text says you did not entrust him properly to someone. Saturnilus has not discovered what I did for him. We bought three minai of linen [a mina was a unit of weight] and sent them. Do not blame me if you did not hand them over to Metellus the soldier. I want you to write about a friend; deliver the things to him at once. I was very upset. I could have sent you the small cloak this year. I did not send it last year, but I did send the things, and we sold them to Kabin the attendant. When we went down from Tonis, from our house, and entered Saturnilus's lodging, I saw our belongings, may the evil eye not harm them, and I did not approve of my son trusting Menas. After he killed him, he told me not to be distressed. I told Saturnilus that I could not sleep for worry. You have caused me damage of twelve hundred drachmas; let the money go toward my son's ransom or settlement. I went down to Alexandria with my son. For this reason madness seized him: he would not agree to let Menas and his people consume the rations. If god wills, and if you receive the rations I prepared for you, do not do the damaged action named in the papyrus with them. As for last year's rations, I did not prepare them; someone else prepared them last year. I left them in Alexandria until the second shipment upstream. Then he became ill. I was crushed by the grief he caused me, but I was completely relieved that he remained alive. We kept pressing him, begging him to take a taste of Alexandria, and he told us, "I do not want to." We thank the gods that he is like you: no one can make a fool of him. Greet all your people, each by name. How much loss I suffered last year because of Saturnilus. Neither he nor I benefited from any of it; I suffered loss on every side. Be well. On the outside of the letter: deliver to Tiberianus, from Tabetheus.

Ταβεθεῦς Κλαυδίῳ Τιβεριανῶι τῷ ἀδελφῶι πλεῖστα χ(αίρειν). πρὸ [μ]ὲν πάντων εὔχομ[αί σ]ε ὑ(*)γιαίνειν καὶ τὸ προσκύνημά σου ποῶ(*) παρὰ τοῦ(*) κυρίου(*) Σούχου(*). ἐχά[ρ]η\ν/ π[ῶς] ἔπεμψάς μ[ο]υ τὸν υ(*)ἱον ἕως αὐτὸν προσκυνήσω, 5 ἀλλὰ οὐκ ε[ ̣] ̣[ ̣]κας̣ αὐτὸν ἀν[θ]ρ̣ώπῳ. οὐχ εὕρηκε γὰρ Σατορ- νεῖλ[ο]ς ἅ πεπόηκα(*) α[ὐ]τῷ. ἠγοράκα[μ]εν τρεῖς μνᾶς λίνων καὶ [ἔ]π[εμ]ψ̣α αὐτάς. μ̣[ή] μ̣[ο]υ μέμφε ἐὰν μὴ παρέσχες Με[τ]έ̣λλῳ̣ στρατιώτῃ. ἐθ̣ελο(*) γράψῃς περὶ φίλου· τάχα παράσχετε αὐτῷ. ἐλοιπήθην(*) πολλά. εἰδυνόμην(*) πέμ- 10 ψαι σοι τὸ συ[ν]θεσιτιν(*) ἐφέτους(*), οὐκ ἔπεμψα αὐτὴν δ̣ι̣ὰ πέ[ρ]υ̣σι ἀ̣λ̣λ̣ὰ ἔπεμψα καὶ πεπράκαμεν αὐτὰ Καβῖν δ̣[ι]άκων̣[ι]. καταβάντες ἐκ Τ̣ῶνις οἴκοθεν ὑ(*)μῶν(*), εἰσ- ελθόντες ε̣[ἰ]ς̣ τὴν ξενίαν Σατορνείλου, βλέψας τὰ ὑ(*)μῶν(*) βα̣βασκαντ̣α̣ν̣(*) οὐκ εὐδόκηκα αὐτὸν τὸν υἱόν μου 15 α[ὐ]τὸν πισ̣τ̣ε̣ῦ̣σαι Μηνᾷ. καὶ αὐτὸν φονεύσας εἶπέ γ[ε] ἐμοὶ [μ]ὴ̣ πον̣ε̣ῖ̣ν, εἶπα Σατορνείλῳ ὅτι μὴ καθεῦ- [δο]ν μεριμνῶν. [ὡς] ἔβλαψές(*) [μ]ε χιλίας διακοσίας δρα- χ[μ]άς, περ[ί]ψημ[ά] μου τοῦ υἱοῦ ἀπέλθωσιν. [κα]ὶ κατ[έ]βην ἰς(*) [Ἀλ]εξάν[δ]ρειαν μετὰ [το]ῦ υἱοῦ μου. 20[τού]του χά[ρ]ιν μ[α]νία αὐτὸν [ἔσ]χηκεν, ἐπὶ(*) οὐκ εὐ- [δό]κ̣ηκεν αὐτὸ[ν] φαγῖν(*) τὰ [ἐπιμ]ήνια σὺν τοῖς παρʼ αὐτοῦ. [ἐὰ]ν ὁ θεὸς θέ[λῃ κ]αὶ λάβῃς [τὰ ἐ]πιμήνια ἃ πεπόηκά(*) σοι, [μ]ὴ αὐτὰ̣ [ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣] ̣α. κ̣α̣ὶ̣ σ[ύ. περὶ τ]ῶν περισυνῶν(*) οὐ [πε]πόηκ[α](*) [ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣] πεπόηκ[ε](*) [πέ]ρυσι. ἀφίωκα αὐτὰ 25[ἐ]ν̣ Ἀλεξ[α]νδ[ρείᾳ] ἕως τῆ[ς δε]υτέρας ἀναγωγῆς. καὶ [ἠσ]θένηκεν. [ἐθλί]βην λο[ι]π̣[ηθείς](*) ὑ̣πʼ αὐτον(*), ἐχάρην ὅλως [ὅτ]ι ἔζηκε[ν. π]επιάκαμ[εν α]ὐτὸν παρακαλοῦντες ὅτι [ἀν]άγευσαι Ἀ[λε]ξανδρε[ί]α[ς, κα]ὶ λέγει ὑ(*)μῖν(*) ὅτι οὐ θέλω. [ε]ὐχαριστοῦμ[ε]ν τοῖς θεοῖς [ὅ]τι ὁμοις(*) σ[ο]ύ ἐστιν, 30[οὐ]δεὶς δ[ύ]νατ[αι] αὐτὸν [κ]αταγελάσαι. ἀσπάζου τοὺς [πα]ρʼ ἐσοῦ πάν[τ]ες(*) κατʼ ὄνομα. ἐβλάβην πόσα πέρυσι διὰ [Σ]ατορνεῖ[λ]ον, οὐδὲ ὀφέλησε̣(*) αὐτὰ οὐδὲ ἐγώ, ἀλλὰ πάν- τα ἐβλάβην. ἔρρωσσοι(*). v ἀπόδ(ος) ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣α ̣ ̣ ̣ Τ̣[ιβ]ε̣[ρι]α̣ν̣ῷ̣ ☓ π(αρὰ) Τ̣[αβεθεῦτος]