Letter 422: What a fine thing is about to begin -- something that deserves to be old rather than new: now Spectatus will be a...
Ἀρισταινέτῳ. (355)
Οἶον πρᾶγμα νῦν λήψεται τὴν ἀρχὴν δίκαιον ὂν ἀρ-
χαῖον εἶναι· νῦν Σπεκτάτος Ἀρισταινέτῳ ξένος ἔσται. πρὸ
τοῦδε οὐ σφόδρα, ταχὺ δὲ ὑμῖν ἐκ τοῦ κέρδους ἡ ζημία φαί
νεται καὶ θαυμάζοντες ἀλλήλους τὸν προειμένον αἰτιάσεσθε
χρόνον.
ἃ μὲν οὖν οὗτος ἤκουσε περὶ σοῦ, τοιαῦτά ἐστιν,
ὥστε ἐρῶν ἔρχεται· ἃ δὲ εὑρήσεις ἐν τούτῳ σύ, τοιαῦτά ἐστιν,
ὤστ’ ἀπιόντος οὐκ οἴσεις.
ἄξιον δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς πρὸς
τὸν ἄνδρα φιλίας πέρας σοι γενέσθαι τῆς λύπης, ἣν ἐπὶ τῇ
γυναικὶ τρέφεις. τὸ μὲν γὰρ Ἡρακλέους οὐ ποιήσει — οἴμαι
δέ, οὐδ’ Ἡρακλῆς ἐποίησεν, ἀλλ’ ἡ Ἄλκηοτις ἀνιοῦσα μῦθός
έστιν — ὅση δὲ ἀνθρώπῳ δύναμις, εἰς παραμυθίαν οὐδὲν
ἐλλείψει.
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