Letter 364: Well now — what was long in the stitching has finally come together.
Θεμιστίῳ. (358)
Ἴδου σοι, τὸ πάλαι ῥαπτόμενον ἐπὶ τέλος ἥκει· τὴν Ἁρ-
ποκρατίωνος ἡμᾶς ἀφελόμενος γλῶτταν ἔδωκας τοῖς οὐδὲν δεο-
μένοις καὶ δεσμὸν χαλεπώτερον εἰς λύσιν τοῦ Γορδίου λέλυ-
κἀς, μᾶλλον δέ, ἔτεμες κατ’ ἐκεῖνον τὸν οὐ δυνηθέντα λῦσαι.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ πείσας εἶχες, ἔφην ἄν σε λελυκέναι, νῦν δέ, ἐβιάσω
γάρ, φημί σε τεμεῖ καὶ μειδιᾷς δὴ μεγάλα φρονῶν ἐπὶ με-
γάλῃ τῇ δυνάμει καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι ἂν ἐθέλῃς ἕλκε
ὁ Ζεὺς
δὲ ἐκεῖνος, ὁ σὸς προστάτης καὶ παρ’ οὗ κατέβης καὶ πρὸς ὃν
ἄπει, πρόχειρον ὂν γῆν καὶ θάλατταν ἀνασπάσαι καὶ κρεμά-
σαντα ἀφεῖναι μετεώρους ἠπείλησε μέν, οὐκ ἔδρασε δέ. σὺ δὲ
ἄνευ σειρᾶς ἀπὸ νεύματος ἐν χεροῖν ἔχεις ὅ τι ἂν δόξη. τὴν
μὶν οὖν σαυτοῦ φιλῶν φήσεις οὐκ ἀδικεῖν, σῶμα δὲ Αἰγύ-
πτιον παραδοὺς Θρᾳκίοις πνεύμασιν ὅρα τί δράσεις.
λόγον
δέ σου λαβών, ὃς ὅσα τῇ πρεσβείᾳ τὴν πόλιν ὤνησας ἴΜεν,
εἶτα γνοὺς ὡς μεταπέμποιο σοφιστάς, μαθητὰς ἔφην ὁ
καλὸς ζητεῖ Θεμίστιος. τίς γὰρ ἔτι ῥήτωρ σοῦ τοιαῦτα
δημιουργοῦντος; οὐχ οὕτως ὁ Τηλέμαχος ἐῴκει τῷ πατρὶ τὴν
μορφήν, ὡς σὺ τῷ Δημοσθένει τοὺς λόγους, οὓς πάλαι κεκτη-
μένος ὀψέ ποτε ἐξήνεγκας.
τῇ τε οὖν ἄλλῃ δεῖ τὴν πρε-
σβείαν ἐπαινεῖν καὶ ὅτι τούτοις ἔδωκεν ἀφορμὴν εἰς μέσον ἐλ-
θεῖν. ποίει δὴ πολλὰ τὰ καλὰ καὶ πέμπε τοὺς λόγους μὴ τοῖς
ἄρχουσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἷς ἀρχὴ μὲν οὐκ ἔστιν, ὦτα δὲ ἴσως.
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