Letter 437: The usual news has reached us: the emperor has won a victory and a barbarian nation has been destroyed.

LibaniusCalliopius, official|c. 355 AD|Libanius
barbarian invasionimperial politics

Καλλιοπίῳ. (355)

Ἧκεν εἰς ἡμᾶς τὰ εἰωθότα· νενίκηκεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ
βαρβάρων ἔθνος ἐκκέκοπται. ταύτην δὲ καρπούμενοι τὴν ἡδο-
νὴν τὴν ἑτέραν ἐλπίζομεν. αὕτη δέ ἐστι σὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐλθεῖν
διδαχήν τε ἔχουσαν τῆς μάχης καὶ τοῦ κεκρατηκότος ἐγκώ-
μιον.

ὡς οὖν μετέωρον ἔχων τὸ θέατρον κήρυττε, ὦ κηρύ-
κων ἄριστε καὶ εὐδαιμονέστατε, γενναίῳ συζῶν ἀθλητῇ. δότω
δὲ σοὶ χάριν ἀντὶ τῆς φωνῆς ὁ παλαιστὴς τὸ μένειν ἀτρέμας
ἐν δεμνίοις ἐμὲ τὸν οὐδὲν ἔτι δυνάμενον πλὴν τὰ ἑτέρων θαυ-
μάζειν· οὕτω πανταχῶς ἀσθενῶ.

καὶ σὺ δὲ δὸς ἡμῖν χάριν
τὸ πρὸς τῷ τι πράττειν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καὶ ἐπιστέλλειν. νῦν δὲ
πῶς, οἴει, διετέθην, ἡνίκα πρὸς μὲν τὸν θεῖον ἔγραφες ὑπὲρ
ἡμῶν, αὐτὸς δὲ ἡμῖν ἐπέστελλες οὐδέν;

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