Letter 353: If you do not help those I recommend, that is not the Greek way.
Μαξίμῳ. (358)
Εἴτε μὴ βοηθεῖς οἷς ἀξιοῦμεν, οὐχ Ἑλληνικὸν τοῦτο
ποιεῖς, εἴθ’ οἷς ἀξιοῦμεν βοηθῶν μὴ προστίθης τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν
γραμμάτων χάριν, οὐκ ἐκείνῳ μᾶλλον εὐφραίνεις ἢ τούτῳ
λυπεῖς. καί μοι τῇ σιγῇ δεικνύεις ὡς ἐγὼ τῷ μὴ σιγᾶν ἐνο-
χλῶ.
τετολμήσθω δ’ οὖν καὶ τὸ παρόν, ἐπειδὴ κελεύει φί-
λος. τὸ κεφάλαιον δή μοι τῶν φίλων. Οὐράνιος γὰρ κοινω-
νεῖ μέν μοι τῆς περὶ τὴν ἀγέλην φροντίδος, κοινωνεῖ δὲ διαί-
της καὶ λυπηρῶν καὶ τερπνῶν καὶ ὅλως τοῦ βίου, καὶ οὔτε
παρ’ ἐκείνῳ πρὸ ἐμοῦ τὰ τέκνα τῶν τε ἀδελφῶν ἐμοὶ τιμιώ-
τερον ἐκεῖνος, ὥστ’ οὐδ’ ἂν δεξαίμην ἀγαθοῦ του τυχεῖν, οὗ
μὴ τὸ μέρος εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἀφίξεται.
τούτῳ γένος ἐστὶ παρ’
ὑμῖν, πάντες ἐπιεικεῖς καὶ πένητες καὶ δεόμενοι γνῶναι τὴν
πόλιν, ὡς οὐκ ἠμέληνται παρὰ σοί· τὸ γὰρ δὴ μικρὸν τοῦτο
μέγα τοῖς ἀσθενέσι πρὸς τοὺς εὐπόρους.
κατ’ ἄμφω δὴ
δοῦναί σε δεῖ τὴν χάριν, εἴτ’ ἔσωσας οὓς ἔμπροσθεν ἠξίουν
εἴτε μή. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἂν εἴη τὸν αὑτοῦ νόμον τηροῦντος, τὸ δὲ
λύοντος αἰτίαν τῷ τελευταίῳ.
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