Letter 438: If I desired only a small thing from your letters, I would have tried once, and failing, stopped immediately.

LibaniusEusebius|c. 355 AD|Libanius
friendship

Εὐσεβίῳ.

Εἰ μὲν μικροῦ του ἐπεθύμουν σῶν γραμμάτων, ἐγχειρή-
σας ἄν, εἶτα οὐ τυχὼν εὐθὺς ἐπεπαύμην· νῦν δὲ ἀεὶ τὰ δεύ-
τερα τῶν προτέρων ἀμείνω διὰ τῆς φήμης σπείρεται καὶ
τὸν πόθον ἡμῖν τοῦτο ἐγείρει.

ἔστω οὖν καὶ τοῦτο τῶν σῶν
καλῶν τὸ μὴ φθονεῖν γραμμάτων. καὶ γὰρ ἄτοπον ἔργῳ μὲν
ὠφελεῖν, λόγῳ δὲ εὐφραίνειν ὀκνεῖν.

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