Letter 510: Either you are joking in your letter or you are completely out of touch with reality.
Ανδρονίκῳ. (356/57)
Ἢ παίζειν ἔοικας ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν ἢ τὸ πᾶν ἀγνοεῖν,
πρῶτον μέν, εἰ νομίζεις τὸν σαυτοῦ θεῖον θείου τι πρὸς σὲ
ποιήσειν· ἔπειτα, εἰ δι’ ἡμᾶς. ἐμοὶ γὰρ οὑτοσὶ χαλεπώτερος
γέγονε τῶν παρ’ ἡμῖν χαλεπῶν καὶ κακῶς ὅσα δύναται ποιεῖ·
δύναται δὲ πολλὰ καὶ πλουτεῖ· τὸ ὁ ὅθεν, ἴστε.
ἔσχε δὲ
πρὸς ἐμὲ δυσκόλως ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ παρὰ σοῦ τυχεῖν ὧν ἐπέ-
ταττεν. ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ οὐδ’ οὕτως ἐπαυόμην φιλῶν, ὁ δ’ ὅτι
σε μὴ μεταβαλὼν ἐμίσουν, μισεῖν ᾠήθη με δεῖν.
σὺ δ’ εὖ
τι παθεῖν παρ’ ἐκείνου ζητῶν λύκου πτερὰ ζητεῖς· ἐπεὶ καὶ
νῦν ὁ Θεμίστιος, ᾧ τί παραπλήσιον εἴποις ἄν; οὗ φθεγγομένου
κἂν Σκύθαι γένοιντο ἥμεροι, τί μὲν οὐκ εἶπε, τί δὲ οὐκ
ἔδρασε; ποίαν δὲ οὐκ ἧλθε πειθοῦς ὁδόν;
Τῷ δ᾿ ἄλληκτόν τε κακόν τε
Θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσι θεοὶ θέσαν εἵνεκα κούρης.
Δοκεῖ γάρ μοι πρὸς τὸ θυγάτριον βλέπων καὶ τὰ Κινύρου
Μικρὰ νομίζειν, ὥστε πανταχόθεν ἀρπάζειν, κἂν αἰτήσας μὴ
Λάβῃ, ἐχθρὸς εὐθέως ὁ μὴ δοὺς καὶ κακῶς οὐκ ἀκήκοεν, ἀλλὰ
Πέπονθεν.
ἢ οὖν ἀποστὰς ὧν αἰτεῖ λῦσον τὸν πόλεμον ἢ
Τῶν σαυτοῦ κρατῶν ἀνέχου τοῦ πολέμου.
Related Letters
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