Letter 423: I may be meddling when I urge a father to care for a son he has decided to neglect.
Ἑορτίῳ. (355)
Περιεργάζομαι μὲν ἴσως πατέρα παρακαλῶν ἐπιμελεῖσθαι
παιδὸς ἀμελεῖν ἐγνωκότα, δακρύοντα δὲ ἰδὼν Θεμίστιον μᾶλ-
λον ἐδεξάμην ἐκεῖνο δόξαι ἢ τοῦτο παριδεῖν.
ἔλεγε τοίνυν
τραχὺ μὲν οὐδέν, ὡς δὲ λήθη σέ τις αὑτοῦ λάβοι, ἐγὼ δέ,
εἰ μὶν ἠπόρεις, ἠξίουν ἄν σε παρὰ τῶν φίλων ἀγείροντα τῷ
παιδὶ βοηθεῖν· ἐπεὶ δὲ εὖ ποιῶν ἐν πρώτοις εἶ τῶν εὐπόρων,
παραινῶ τι τῶν ὄντων εἰς τὸ τῶν ὄντων σρι τιμιώτατον ἀνα-
λῶσαι.
ἴσως μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ πεῖνα σφόδρα νέῳ χρήσιμον,
ἔστι δὲ νῦν οὐ περὶ τῆς γαστρὸς ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ’ ὅπως ᾐ το
νεανίσκῳ βιβλία· ὧν ἀπόντων ὅμοιος ἔσται τῷ πειρωμένῳ το-
ξεύειν ἄνευ τόξου μανθάνειν.
Related Letters
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I am surprised that you sent no letter through Clearchus, nor when Iphicles came from you to us.
I have sent my brother to supplicate the god who dwells near you on my behalf.
Do you not think I would give anything to have delivered that speech with you in the audience?
Many blessings on Bacchius, who is both fine himself and a lover of fine things.