Letter 449: You ask how my affairs stand but say nothing about the state of your own health -- as if I cared less about that...
Φασγανίῳ. (355/56)
Ἐρωτᾷς, ὅπως ἔχει μοι τὰ πράγματα, τὸ σὸν δὲ ὅπως
σοι σῶμα πέπραγεν, οὐ μηνύεις ὥσπερ οὐ πλείονος οὔσης ἡμῖν
ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου φροντίδος ἢ σοὶ περὶ τούτων. ἄκουε δὴ οὖν
γράμμα οὐδὲν ἥκει μοι φοβερόν, Σπεκτάτος δὲ καὶ χρηστὸν
ἐπαγγέλλεται. ὁ δὲ μάργος ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὴν Μεγάλην φθείρων
πόλιν ἥν τε ἐκαρπούμην ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τροφὴν εἰς ἑτέρους
μετέθηκε γνώμῃ βασιλέως χρησάμενος καὶ χρυσὸν εἰσπράττει
δή με πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα ἐπιστείλας
ἐφ’ οἷς οὕτως ὴγανά-
κτήσι Στρατήγιος, ὥστ’ οὐ πώποτε τηλικοῦτον ἀνεβόησε. καὶ
δὴ καὶ ταῦτα ἡμῖν εὔνουν τὸν ἄνδρα ποιεῖ· τὸν γὰρ ὑπ’ ἐκεί-
νου μισούμενον οἴεται προσήκειν εὖ πάσχειν ὑφ’ ἑαυτοῦ.
τὰ
δὲ περὶ τοὺς νέους τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ᾗ πρὸ τοῦ, Ἰούλιος δὲ ὁ
γραμματιστὴς ὑπὸ λύπης οἴχεται, καὶ γνοὺς Εὐδαίμων ὡς
οὔπω πάντα αὑτῷ ῥᾴδια, Σεβαστιανὸν πείθει δεηθῆναί μου
νεῖμαί τι προνοίας αὑτῷ.
τῷ δὲ Εὐβούλῳ δῆλός τε ἐγενό-
μην ἡδέως ἂν ἰδὼν Ἀκάκιον ἐνθάδε καὶ ἐποιήσατο περὶ τού-
του πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα λόγον προσθείς, ὡς ἄρα ἀρέσκοντά μοι
ποιοῖ. ὁ δὲ οὐ μάλα προσέσχεν οὐκ οἰόμενος δεῖν ἄκοντα ἕλ-
κειν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐκ δὲ Παλαιστίνης ἀφιγμένοι τῶν γνω-
ρίμων τινὲς λέγουσί τε ὡς αὐτοῦ μενεῖ καί τινα ἐπίδειξιν
ἀπαγγέλλουσιν οὐκ εὐτυχῆ.
ὁ δὲ Ἡρωδιανὸς προσιὼν ἐμέ
τε αὑτοῦ ποιεῖται κύριον καὶ ἐφ’ οἷς Οὐράνιος ζῆν ἀξιοῖ. καὶ
πολλὰ τὰ σοῦ χρῄζοντα, τὰ μὲν ἐμά, τὰ δὲ κοινά.
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When I turn my gaze upon the world, and perceive the difficulties by which every effort after good is obstructed, like those of a man walking in fetters, I am brought to despair of myself. But then I direct my gaze in the direction of your reverence; I remember that our Lord has appointed you to be physician of the diseases in the Churches; and ...
Even a short letter gives great pleasure when the writer's affection can be measured by the greatness of his soul...
1. I am doubly alarmed to the very bottom of my heart, and you are the cause. I am either the victim of some unkindly prepossession, and so am driven to make an unbrotherly charge; or, with every wish to feel for you, and to deal gently with your troubles, I am forced to take a different and an unfriendly attitude.
1. So far from being impatient at the length of your letter, I assure you I thought it even short, from the pleasure it gave me when reading it. For is there anything more pleasing than the idea of peace?