Letter 331: You who come from Greece hold rhetoric in honor, and Hieronymus possesses it in the highest degree.
Εὐπατερίῳ. (357/58)
Τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ὑμῖν ἡ ῥητορικὴ τίμιον, ταύτης
δὲ πλεῖστον Ἱερώνυμος μετέχει. πᾶσα τοίνυν ἀνάγκη καὶ τοῦ-
τὸν γενέσθαι σοι τίμιον, ὃς καὶ τὸν Στρατήγιον ἡμῖν ἀνηρ-
τήσατο λέγων.
ἦν μὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ λόγος ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐδικάζετο
γεγραμμένος, ὡς δὲ οὐκέτ’ ἐδέησεν ἀγῶνος, εἰπεῖν ὅμως δεη-
θεὶς καὶ τυχὼν εἰπὼν ἐπαινούμενος ἀπῆλθεν, ὥστ’ ἐμὲ χαί-
ρειν. εἶς γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ διδάσκαλος, ἐμοί τε καὶ τούτῳ. καὶ ὅ τι
ἂν τούτῳ καλὸν ὑπάρξῃ, τοῦτ’ εὐθὺς ἐμόν.
λέγοντα μὲν
οὖν οἶδ’ ὅτι θαυμάσῃ, θαυμάζων δὲ οἶδ᾿ ὅτι καὶ φιλήσεις
κατ’ αὐτό γε τὸ θαῦμα καὶ ὅτι γε οὐ ῥήτωρ πλέον ἢ χρηστός.
εἰ δέ τι καὶ τοῦτο δυνήσεται τὸ μέλειν ἐμοὶ τοῦ ῥήτορος, εἴ-
σομαί τε χάριν καὶ ἴσως ἀποδώσω.
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