Letter 506: I owe my homeland to you, and I may soon add that I owe my health to you as well.

To Olympius. (356/57) I have my native city because of you, and perhaps I shall someday add this too, that I have it while being in good health because of you, seeing that now there has marched against us once again that dreadful thing, the one that shakes the head; and many drugs have been used up as I drink them, but the effect of the drinking is not brilliant, rather, while still to come it gave delight through hope, but once it came about it brought little benefit. So that, unless you come to us with all speed and cast out the evil by your art, the evil will at any rate cast us out of our native city. For you know how those who are sick, whenever no one helps them, lay the blame on the place and, out of their helplessness, leap away to some other region. It would therefore be your task, in addition to giving me back my homeland, to grant me also that my head be in sound health.

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.