Letter 534: I wrote to you before urging you not to dishonor your homeland, and I urge the same now: admire Rome, but live in...
To Olympius.
I wrote to you before urging you not to dishonor your homeland, and I urge the same now: admire Rome, but live in your own city. A place is ready for you here, along with a chorus of young students and an honorary decree -- everything is prepared.
My affairs need your voice. If our associates are to prevail in the courts -- and that is impossible against the other tongue [Latin, the language of Roman law courts, versus the Greek rhetoric Libanius taught] -- how can you not be here to help tend the flock?
Come, my good friend, become a teacher at last, since you were such an excellent student. Come in person, and bring your books.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Ὀλυμπίῳ. (356/57)
Καὶ πρότερον ἐπέστειλά σοι παρακαλῶν σε μὴ τὴν πα.
τρίδα ἀτιμάσαι καὶ νῦν ταὐτὰ παρακαλῶ Ῥώμην μὲν θαυμά-
ζειν, οἰκεῖν δὲ τὴν σαυτοῦ. τόπος δέ σοι καὶ χοροὶ νέων καὶ
ψήφισμα τιμὰς ἔχον, πάντα εὐτρεπῆ.
δεῖ δ’ ἐμοῦ τοῖς
πράγμασι τῆς σῆς φωνῆς. εἰ γὰρ δεῖ τοὺς ἡμετέρους ἑταίρους
ἐν δίκαις ἰσχύσαι, τοῦτο δὲ ἀμήχανον ὑπὸ τῆς ἑτέρας γλώτ-
της, πῶς οὐ χρὴ παρόντα σὲ συνεφάπτεσθαι τοῦ ποιμνίου;
ἀλλ’, ὦ γαθέ, γενοῦ ποτε καὶ διδάσκαλος, ἐπειδὴ μαθη-
τὴς ἐγένου γενναῖος, καὶ αὐτός τε ἐλθεῖν καὶ μετὰ βιβλίων.
Revision history
- 2026-03-20v2.1.0-import
Initial corpus import from AI-assisted translation from original text.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/First1KGreek/blob/master/volume_xml/libanius_10.xml
Related Letters
It was good of you to acquit me of blame in the very act of accusing me.
(The people of Nazianzus had in some way incurred the loss of civic rights; and the Order for the forfeiture of the title of City had been signed by Olympius. This led to something like a revolt on the part of a certain number of the younger citizens: and this Olympius determined to punish by the total destruction of the place. S.
I have neglected my duty to pay tribute, but what could I do?
Evil men from outside are troubling our Church.
Before you did write me a few words: now not even a few. Your brevity will soon become silence. Return to your old ways, and do not let me have to scold you for your laconic behaviour.