Letter 187: At first we had no way of knowing where exactly you were.
Μοδέστῳ. (358/59)
Τὸ μὲν πρῶτον οὐκ ἦν ἡμῖν εἰδέναι, ποῦ ποτε ὢν τυγ-
χάνεις, ἀλλ’ ὅτι μὲν ἐν τῇ ποταμὸν ἑκατέρωθεν ἐχούσῃ, Τί-
γρητα μὲν ἐνθένδε, Εὐφράτην δὲ ἐνθένδε, τοῦτο οὐκ ἦν ἀγνο-
εἰν· ταύτης δὲ ἐκείνης ὅπου τοῦτό γε καὶ τὰς αὐτόθι πό-
λεις ἐλάνθανε διὰ τὸν οὐδαμοῦ καθήμενον ἀετόν.
εὐχόμην
δή σε τῆς πλάνης ἀπαλλαγέντα στῆναι μικρόν, ὅπως γένοιτο
πορεύεσθαι ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς, ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν. ὡς γὰρ ἀνέ-
πνευσας, ἐπέστειλάς τε καὶ πρὸς ἐπιστολὰς ἐγείρεις, καὶ οὐ φή-
σεῖς γε τὸ παρελθὸν ἔτος κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν εἰς γράμματα
γενέσθαι βέλτιον τοῦ νῦν.
ὃν δὲ ἔπεμψας ἐπὶ ἰατρικὴν
νέον διδασκάλῳ Θάλλω χρησόμενον, οὔπω ἔσχον ἰδεῖν. ἢ γὰρ
οὐχ ἧκεν ἢ οὐδὲν ἡμῶν οἴεται δεῖσθαι.
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The brevity of this letter should not be taken as a measure of the favor being asked.