Letter 544: What was expected has come to pass.
Ἀνατολίῳ (356/57)
Καὶ τὰ δοκηθέντα ἐτελέσθη· μεταθέντα γὰρ εἰπεῖν
ἀληθὲς ὡς οὐκ ἔσθ’ ὅστις οὐκ ἤλπισε τὴν παροῦσαν ἀρχήν·
οὕτως οὐκ ἀλλοτρίων ἅπτῃ τῶν νῦν, ἀλλ’ ἀκριβῶς ἐδέξω τὰ
σαυτοῦ, καὶ μέγα πάντες ἐβόησαν ἄνθρωποι μακαρίζοντες μὲν
ὧν ἐπιστατεῖς, ἐπαινοῦντες δὲ τὸν ἐπιστήσαντα, συγχαίροντες
δὲ σοὶ τοῦ λαβεῖν ἀφορμὴν πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν τῆς ἀρετῆς.
χάριεν δὲ ἐκεῖνο τῶν πολλῶν· ὄντος γὰρ ἔτι σοῦ τῆς ἀρχῆς
ἐν προοιμίοις οὐχ ὡς ποιήσοντος πολλὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰς πόλεις,
ἀλλ’ ὡς ἤδη πάντα πεποιηκότος χρῶνται τοῖς λόγοις καὶ περὶ
τῶν ἐσομένων ὡς ἤδη τετελεσμένων διηγοῦνται· τοιαύτη δόξα
τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπέρχεται.
τῶν δὲ ἡδομένων μάλιστα ὦν
αὐτὸς οὐκ ἐγενόμην τῶν λαβόντων ἐπιστολήν, ἀλλ’ εἷς ἦν τῶν
λεγόντων῾ ἥκει τῷ δεῖνι γράμματα καὶ τὸν δεῖνα ἐτίμησε
γράμμασι. καὶ ἴσως εἰκότως τόδε ἐπράττετο· τῷ γὰρ ἀξιῶ
ματι προσήκει τὸ φρόνημα ἀντίπαλον εἶναι.
τὸ δ’ ὂν πρό-
τερόν τί σε τιμᾶν ἐν ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ταπεινόν, ὥστ’ ἐγὼ δέ-
δοικα μὴ καὶ τὸ γράμματά σοι παρ’ ἡμῶν ἐλθεῖν εἰς ἔγκλημα
ἀφίκηταί μοι. γνῶθι δ’ ὡς ἀληθῶς φοβοῦμαι.
τὸν δὲ
πάντα ἄριστον Σαραπόδωρον ἔχων ἐπαινεῖν πανταχόθεν σιω-
πῶ, μὴ τοῦτο τῷ πρώτῳ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐλάττωμα γένηται.
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