Letter 224: Are you then forgetful of us?

To Julian of Antioch. (362) Are you then forgetful of us? But Phoenicia does not suffer us to be forgetful of you, as she celebrates your reign in immortal hymns. From your Asia also flows the fame of your actions, increasing our expectations. For nothing that we have heard, great as all these actions are, is so great as to exceed the hopes that we have formed. We, on account of our relation to the Ionians , rejoice, trusting that you will proceed in the right road and that your authority both over them and us will be more firmly established. But this must be left to the providence of God. Andragathius, in requesting to be the bearer of this, has rather conferred than asked a favour of me. For he will not be more gratified by the pleasure of seeing you than I am by thus being enabled to address you. This youth will have these three recommendations to you; an energy of speech, which he has displayed before the prefects; a courtesy of behaviour, which endears him to all with whom he converses; and such an intimacy with me as, in that respect, to exceed all the friends that I have had since my childhood. Julian was then in Ionia, in the province of Asia.

Are you then forgetful of us? But Phoenicia does not suffer us to be forgetful of you, as she celebrates your reign in immortal hymns. From your Asia also flows the fame of your actions, increasing our expectations. For nothing that we have heard, great as all these actions are, is so great as to exceed the hopes that we have formed. We, on account of our relation to the Ionians , rejoice, trusting that you will proceed in the right road and that your authority both over them and us will be more firmly established. But this must be left to the providence of God. Andragathius, in requesting to be the bearer of this, has rather conferred than asked a favour of me. For he will not be more gratified by the pleasure of seeing you than I am by thus being enabled to address you. This youth will have these three recommendations to you; an energy of speech, which he has displayed before the prefects; a courtesy of behaviour, which endears him to all with whom he converses; and such an intimacy with me as, in that respect, to exceed all the friends that I have had since my childhood. Julian was then in Ionia, in the province of Asia.