Letter 505: I spent only a little time in your company, owing to my preoccupation with my teaching, and I count it as a real...
Φλωρεντίῳ. (356/57)
ἐγώ σοι μικρὰ συγγενόμενος διὰ τὴν ἐν λόγοις ἀσχο-
λίαν, ὅτι γε μὴ πάλαι σοι τῶν πάνυ συνήθων γέγονα, βε-
βλάφθαι φημὶ καὶ νῦν ἀπὸ γραμμάτων τὴν φιλίαν θηρεύω,
οὐχ ὅπως σου καρπωσαίμην τὴν δύναμιν, ἐμπόρου γὰρ τοῦτό
γε καὶ οὐ φιλίας ἐπιθυμοῦντος, ἀλλ’ ἵνα μή με καλὸς κἀγαθὸς
ἀνὴρ διαφύγῃ κἀν τοῖς ἐπαίνοις τοῖς περὶ σοῦ καταδύωμαι
μὴ ἔχων λέγαν ὅτι οὗτος ὁ τοιοῦτος ἐμοὶ φίλος.
εὖ γὰρ
ἴσθι, τοῖς μὲν πολλοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων εὐδαίμων εἶναι δοκεῖς,
γένους δὴ λέγω καὶ πλούτου καὶ τάξεως, ἐφ’ ἦς σὺ βέβηκας·
ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδὲ ταῦτα μὲν ἀτιμάζω, μακαρίζω δὲ τὸ καὶ ἐν τού-
τοις εἰδέναι σωφρονεῖν καὶ πολλῆς εὐφημίας τυγχάνειν. χα-
λεπὸν γὰρ οὗπερ σὺ τεταγμένον πάντας ἐπαινέτας λαβεῖν.
ἀνάγκη γὰρ τὸν ἐν δυνάμει καὶ λυπεῖν τινας.
ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ
μέχρι τῆσδε τῆς ἡμέρας ἐπαίνων μὲν σῶν ἀκροατὴς γέγονα,
τῶν δὲ ἑτέρων οὔτε ἐγενόμην μήτε γενοίμην.
εὐχόμενος δέ
σε μένειν ἀγαθὸν καὶ τῷ καλῷ Σπεκτάτῳ συνεύχομαι. πρὸς
γὰρ ἀλλήλους ἡμεῖς ὅπερ Ἡρακλῆς καὶ Θησεὺς πρὸς ἀλλή-
λους, ὥσθ’ ὅτι ἂν θατέρῳ καλὸν ᾖ, τοῦτ’ ἀμφοῖν ἐστι.
γε-
νέσθω δή σου τῆς καλοκἀγαθίας τὸ καὶ τῶν γραμμάτων ἀντι-
δοῦναι γράμματα. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἐπίπονον, ἀλλὰ τό γε φιλεῖν
ἐθέλειν πόνον οὐκ ἔχει, ὥστ’ ἂν φιλῶν μὴ γράφῃς, ἀρκέσει.
Related Letters
Cyprian — also known as Thascius — to Florentius, also known as Pupianus, his brother, greetings.
When your letter arrived summoning Priscianus -- the dearest of all men to me -- a great buzz went through the city.
Sent to Florentius along with the preceding letter, which Jerome requests him to deliver to Rufinus. This Florentius was a rich Italian who had retired to Jerusalem to pursue the monastic life. Jerome subsequently speaks of him as a distinguished monk so pitiful to the needy that he was generally known as the father of the poor.
As long as your goodwill toward us keeps growing, we'll keep needing to write to you about our friends.
Polianus has returned to us and reported the favors he received, and both he and I are grateful.