Letter 217: I return to the subject of your building projects, not because I wish to criticize -- you know my admiration for...
Ἀνδρονίκῳ. (360?)
Ἡμεῖς μὶν ᾠόμεθα τὸν τῆς σῆς ἀρχῆς χρόνον εὐθυμίας
ἔσεσθαι τῷ παιδὶ τῷ Θέωνος χρόνον ἔκ τε ὧν ἐδεήθημεν ἔκ
τε ὧν ἐπηγγέλλου, ὁ δ’ ἴσως ἐπαινεῖ τὸν πρότερον· εἰ δὲ οὐδὲ
τοῦτο ποιεῖ διὰ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν, ἀλλ’ εἴπερ ἐπῄνει, δικαίως ἂν
ἐπῄνει. γέγονε γὰρ αὐτῷ πάντα ἐκεῖνα γαλήνη, τὰ δὲ παρὰ
σοῦ πορθμὸς Σικελίας
καὶ οὐδὲ τὴν τῶν μὴ φίλων ἡμῖν
ὁ φίλος ἐμιμήσω μετριότητα, πρὸς τοσοῦτον ἥκεις τοῦ φιλεῖν,
ἀλλ’ ἕνα Οὖρσος δι’ εἰσπράξεως ἀδίκου κολακευθῇ, πεπάτηται
μὲν τὰ πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ τροφεῖα κριοῦ, καταπεφρόνηνται δὲ
τοσούτων γνώσεις ὑπάρχων, δεινὸν δὲ οὐδέν, εἰ διὰ τῶν οἰ-
κείων ὤσεις τὸ ξίφος
ἔοικέ σε ὁ πολὺς ἔπαινος, ὦ φίλ-
τατε, διεφθαρκέναι καὶ νομίζεις ἐν τῷ τοὺς ἐπιτηδείους ἐλαύ-
νεῖν τὸν Αἰακὸν παρελᾶν. ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ τοὺς ἐν νυκτομαχίᾳ μέν-
τοι τῶν φίλων ὑπ’ ἀγνοίας ἁπτομένους ἐπαινοῦμεν, ἀλλ’ ἐλε-
οῦμεν, καὶ αὐτοὶ δέ εἰσι τῶν αὑτοὺς ἐλεούντων, ὅτι ἠγνόησαν.
ὅστις δὲ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ καὶ φωτὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖ καὶ σεμνύνεται δυσ-
σεβῶν, οὐκ οἶδα εἴ τι τούτῳ ἔστι καθάρσιον.
ἀλλ’, ὦγαθέ,
μὴ διάγραφε τὰς Χάριτας τοῦ καταλόγου τῶν θεῶν μηδ’ ὁμοίως
ἀκίνδυνον ἡγοῦ τὸ λυπεῖν ἐμέ τε καὶ τὸν ἐπιστάμενον ἀμύ-
νεσθαι καὶ λέουσιν ἐοικότα, τὸν ἀήττητον Ὀλύμπιον.
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