Letter 424: It is the mark of a friend to feel pain when hearing such things and to write about them.
Φιλίππῳ. (355)
Φιλοῦ μὲν τὸ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀκούσαντα ἀλγῆσαι καὶ ἐπι-
στεῖλαι, ἀγαθοῦ δὲ καὶ κατὰ σὲ τὸ μετὰ Μουσῶν ἐπιστεῖλαι.
ὁ δὲ σοὶ ταῦτα ἀγγείλας ἢ ῥᾳδίως περὶ ὧν οἶδεν οὐδὲν ὡς
εἰδὼς τολμᾷ λέγειν ἢ τοῦτο μὲν οὐχί, σοὶ δὲ ἐχθρός ἐστι καὶ
ἐμοί.
καὶ ταῦτα ἔπλαττεν ἐπὶ ψόγῳ μὲν ἐμῷ, σῇ δὲ λύπῃ.
μᾶλλον δέ, ἐχθροῦ μὲν ἡ γνώμη, τὸ δὲ ἔργον φίλου. τὸ γὰρ
σοὶ μὲν δοῦναι τοιαύτην ἐπιστολὴν συνθεῖναι, καλὴν δὲ οὕτως
ἐλθεῖν ἐπιστολὴν ἐμοὶ σφόδρα ἀμφοῖν κηδομένου.
τὰ δὲ
ἡμέτερα ὧδε ἔστηκεν· οἱ πρὶν ἡμᾶς ἥκειν ἀνθοῦντες ἀπηνθή-
κασιν, φθόνος δ’ ἀνέφυ οὐδείς. τὸ δὲ μὴ πρὸς κέντρα
καὶ μάλα ἴσασι. Κύκλωψ δὲ ἐκεῖνος καὶ Σκύλλα μέχρι τοῦ
πορθμοῦ Σικελίας. χαῖρε τοίνυν καὶ τὴν παροιμίαν ἀφεὶς
συνήδου.
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