Letter 264: I have not yet met you, but I long to, and I am fond of you even before seeing you -- so many fine things are...
Γερμανῷ. (360)
Ἐγώ σε οὔπω μὲν εἶδον, ἰδεῖν δὲ ἐπιθυμῶ, φιλῶ δὲ καὶ
πρὶν ἰδεῖν· οὕτω πολλὰ καὶ καλὰ παρ’ ἀνδρῶν καλῶν τε καὶ
ἀγαθῶν ἀγγέλλεται περὶ σοῦ. φιλοῦντα δὲ μὴ καὶ θαρρεῖν χά-
ριν αἰτεῖν ἕν τι τῶν ἀτόπων ἡγούμην.
αἰτῶ δή σε τονδὶ
τὸν νεανίσκον, Ὑπερέχιος ὄνομα αὐτῷ, μετὰ πάσης ἡμερότητος
δέξασθαί τε κα πέμψαι διὰ τάχους. τάχους γάρ, οἶμαι, δεό-
μενος ἀφεὶς ἡμιόνων ζεῦγος ἵππον ἐλαύνει καὶ ταῦτα ἐλάτ-
τονι τοῦ πόνου χρώμενος σώματι.
ἀλλ’ ἐν σοί γέ ἐστι πολ-
Λὰ τῆς ταλαιπωρίας ἀφελεῖν. ὃ ποιήσας, ὅ τι δυναίμην ἂν
ὑπουργεῖν, ἐπίταττε. καλὸν δὲ οἶμαι τῆς τῶν γραμμάτων ἀρ-
χῆς παρ’ ἐμοῦ γεγενημένης τὴν τῶν ἔργων γενέσθαι παρὰ
σοῦ. οὕτω γὰρ ἂν εἰς ἴσον κατασταίημεν ἀλλήλοις, μᾶλλον δέ,
καὶ οὕτω σὸν τὸ νικᾶν, εἴπερ ἀμείνω τῶν λόγων τὰ ἔργα.
Related Letters
I remember the deep mud, the bitter cold that struck me on that occasion, and every other hardship -- and all of it...
My health has been indifferent lately, which explains the gap in our correspondence.
My occupation is still rhetoric, as before, but the pleasures are nothing like they were.
I commend your war on thieves.
Save those long and elaborate defenses for those who want to bring charges.