Letter 506: I owe my homeland to you, and I may soon add that I owe my health to you as well.
Ὀλυμπίῳ. (356/57)
Ἔχω τὴν πατρίδα διὰ σέ, προσθήσω δ’ ἴσως ποτὲ τὸ
ὅτι καὶ ὑγιαίνων ἔχω διὰ σέ, ὡς νῦν ἡμῖν ἐπεστράτευσε πάλιν
ἐκεῖνο τὸ δεινὸν τὸ σεῖον τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ φάρμακα πολλὰ
μὲν ἀνήλωται πίνοντος ἐμοῦ, τῆς δὲ πόσεως τὸ ἔργον οὐ λαμ-
πρόν, ἀλλὰ μέλλουσα μὲν εὔφρανεν ἐλπίδι, γενομένη δὲ ἤνεγκε
μικρόν.
ὥστ’ ἂν μὴ τάχιστα ἡμῖν ἀφικόμενος ἐκβάλῃς τὸ
κακὸν τῇ τέχνῃ, τῆς γε πατρίδος ἡμᾶς ἐκβαλεῖ τὸ κακόν.
οἶσθα γὰρ ὡς οἱ ιοσοῦντες, ἐπειδὰν μηδεὶς ὠφελῇ, τοῦ τόπου
κατηγοροῦντες ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπορίας ἀποπηδῶσιν ἐπ’ ἄλλο χωρίον.
σὸν οὖν ἂν εἴη πρὸς τῷ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀποδοῦναι τὸ καὶ τὴν
κεφαλὴν ἐρρῶσθαί μοι δοῦναι.
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