Letter 497: It seems I am using unreliable couriers for my letters, if after sending many on top of many I am accused of never...
Ὀλυμπίῳ. (356/57)
Ἔοικα διακόνοις οὐ δικαίοις χρῆσθαι περὶ τὰ γράμματα,
εἰ πολλὰ ἐπὶ πολλοῖς ἐπιστείλας ὡς οὐδ’ ὁτιοῦν ἐπιστείλας
ἐγκέκλημαι.
σὺ δ’ ἀλγῶν μὲν τῷ μὴ λαβεῖν ὀρθῶς δοκεῖς
ἀλγεῖν, τὸ δ’ ἀφέντα ἐγκαλεῖν ἐμοὶ παρὰ τῷ θείῳ με διώκειν,
τουτὶ δὴ πικρῶς ἀμυνομένου. οἶσθα γὰρ ὡς ἐμοί τε ἐκεῖνος
αἰδέσιμος ἐμέ τε ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἂν ἀδίκως ἐγκαλεῖσθαι ἐθέλοι.
σὺ δ’ ἴσως ἐπενεγκών μοι τὴν Γοργόνα μικρὸν οἴει πεποι-
ηκέναι. πρᾶττε οὖν, ὅπως καὶ τοῦτο εἴσεται, ὅτι σοι ἐπέστει-
λα, καὶ μὴ τὰ φαυλότερα μηνύων ἀργὸς γένῃ περὶ τὰ βελ-
τίω.
καὶ μὴν κἀκεῖνο ἴσθι, ὡς ἡ μὲν πυκνότης τῶν γραμ-
μάτων πολλοῖς ἂν κωλυθείη, καὶ νόσῳ καὶ ἀσχολίᾳ καὶ τῷ
τοὺς ὡς ὑμᾶς ἰόντας φάσκειν ἐθέλειν γράμματα φέρειν μᾶλ-
λον ἢ θέλειν· τὸ δὲ μεμνῆσθαί σου καὶ θαυμάζειν ἐν ἡμῖν
αὐτοῖς τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ὅτε οὐ τετηρήκαμεν.
ὃ δὴ καὶ περὶ
τῶν φίλων ἐγὼ πέπεισμαι, ὅτι κἂν μὴ γράφωσι, τὸ φιλεῖν γε
οὐκ ἀφῃρήκασιν.
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