Letter 407: Do you realize you are at war with yourself?
Ἰοβιανῷ. (355)
Αρ᾿ αἰσθάνῃ σαυτῷ μαχόμενος καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν εὖ ποιῶν
τε ὁμοῦ καὶ κακῶς καὶ μισῶν οὐ μικρῶς ὃν πάνυ φάσκεις φι-
λεῖν; τὸ μὲν γὰρ πολλούς τε εἰδέναι τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγων καὶ
μνήμη τηρεῖν καὶ λέγειν ἀπὸ στόματος καὶ ἐπεισάγειν παντὶ
συλλόγῳ καὶ βουλομένοις δεικνύειν καὶ μὴ βουλομένοις ἐνο-
χλεῖν, ταυτὶ μὲν ἴσως φιλοῦντος, τὸ δὲ ἴσως εἴρηταί μοι διὰ
τὸ τὰ μὴ καλὰ ποιήματα κέρδος εἶναι τοῖς ποιηταῖς, εἰ κρύ-
πτοιτο, ἀλλ’ ὅμως ἴστω τοῦτο φιλοῦντος· ὅταν δέ με ἐκ-
βάλλης τῆς πατρίδος, ἣν πολλοῖς ἀπείληφα πόνοις, καὶ περι-
τρέχῃς, ὅπως ἐγὼ πάθοιμι, καὶ τοῖς ἀφεικόσιν ἐγκαλῇς ὡς
ἐξηπατημένοις καὶ λύῃς τὴν χάριν καὶ τὸ σαυτοῦ θεραπεύῃς
ἡδὺ καὶ τοὐμὸν διαφθείρῃς συμφέρον, ταῦτα δὲ οὐ δέχεται
τὸ τοῦ φιλοῦντος πρόσρημα.
καὶ δέδοικα δὴ μή σοι δια-
βάλλῃ τὸν τρόπον, καίτοι Κλημάτιος ἐν ἐπαίνῳ τῷ περὶ σοῦ
ταύτην ἀπήγγειλε τὴν σπουδήν, κατήγορος δὲ ὢν οὐκ ἡπί-
στατο.
δεικνύντος δέ μου ὅτι τὰ ἀδικήματα θαυμάζοι,
κάλει φησίν, ὅ τι ταῦτα ἐθέλεις· ὡς ἡμῖν γε ἀρέσκει
καὶ πεπράξεται. καὶ έμοὶ τοίνυν ἔφην ἐξέστω μὴ νο-
μίξειν ἡμᾶς φίλους μηδὲ εἰς ταὐτὸω ἰέναι. ταῦτα ἀκού-
σὰς ἔφη λήξειν.
παῦσαι δὴ καὶ σὺ τῆς φιλονεικίας καὶ
φρόνησον Ἑλληνικόν τι. πρέποι δ’ ἂν ἥκοντος Ὀλυμπίου τοῦ
φέροντος ὑμῖν ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς πάντα τὰ Ἑλλήνων καλά.
Related Letters
Do you still remember me now that you have gone to Rome and are gazing at sights you never saw before, convincing...
Surely you will not demand a long letter from me this time.
We are gaping in expectation -- not for Aeschylus [i.
1. Speech is really an image of mind: so I have learned to know you from your letters, just as the proverb tells us we may know the lion from his claws. I am delighted to find that your strong inclinations lie in the direction of the first and greatest of good things — love both to God and to your neighbour.
If it were fitting to send you something lesser, I would have sent it already.