Letter 508: Leontius never delivered the letter.

To Aristaenetus. (356/57) Leontius did not deliver the letter, but either, not having received it, he said that he had received it, or, having received it, he has lost it; and Themistius, having said on the following day that he was carrying it, then said that he was not carrying it; for he claimed that you, after writing it, did not enclose it. What all this means, instruct me, since I do not see the solution to these riddles. Spectatus set out from us slowly, but, after settling matters here well, he set out and imitated the manner of Nicias, our ancestor. For he is to see Babylon, to see it, even if it was not taken by war, but at any rate opened by the law of peace.

Ἀρισταινέτῳ. (356/57) Οὔθ’ ὁ Λεόντιος ἔδωκε τὴν ἐπιστολήν, ἀλλ’ ἢ οὐ λα- βὼν ἔφησε λαβεῖν ἢ λαβὼν ἀπολώλεκε, Θεμίστιός τε φήσας φέρειν τῆς ὑστεραίας οὐ φέρειν ἔφη· γράψαντα γάρ σε οὐκ ἐπιθεῖναι. ταῦτα δὴ τί βούλεται, δίδαξον, ὡς ἐγὼ τῶν αἰνιγ- μάτων οὐχ ὁρῶ λύσιν. Σπεκτάτος δὲ παρ’ ἡμῶν ἀνέστη μὶν βραδέως, εὖ δὲ τὰ τῇδε θεὶς ἀνέστη καὶ μιμησάμενος τοῦ Νικίου τοῦ ἡμετέρου προγόνου τὸν τρόπον. Βαβυλῶνα γὰρ ὁρᾶν, ὁρᾶν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πολέμῳ ληφθεῖσαν ἀλλ’ εἰρήνης γε ἀνεῳγμένην νόμῳ.