Letter 383: You are a good fellow for seeking letters and claiming that not receiving them makes you ill, and that receiving...
Θαλασσίῳ. (358)
Χρηστὸς εἶ γράμματα ζητῶν καὶ φάσκων τῷ μὲν οὐ
λαβεῖν ἀρρωστεῖν, πάντως δ’ ἂν ὑγιᾶναι λαβών. ἐκεῖνό γε
μήν, οὐδ’ εἰ πάνυ βουλοίμην χαρίζεσθαι, χρηστὸν ἔχω καλεῖν
τὸ τρεῖς ἐπιστολὰς εἰληφότα κατηγορεῖν ὡς ὅλως σεσιγηκότος.
ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ἡ τοῦ πάλιν ἐθέλειν λαβεῖν ἐπιθυμία πρὸς τὸ
ψεῦδος ἄγει, δῆλον· ἐξῆν μέντοι καὶ τὸ δοθὲν ὡς μικρὸν
αἰτιώμενον ἀληθεύειν τε ὁμοῦ καὶ πλείω ζητεῖν.
ἀλλ’ ἡμεῖς
γε παρὰ τῶν σῶν ὁμολογοῦμεν ἀεί τε καὶ πολλὰ λαμβάνειν
γαῖ ὧν βουλόμεθα πλείω. οἶς ἀντιδίδομεν χάριν τὸ σοὶ παρ-
αινεῖν μνησθῆναι τῆς ἀγαθῆς γυναικὸς καὶ πρὸς σαυτὸν ἀεὶ
λέγειν ὅτι πατὴρ οὔπω γέγονας.
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