Letter 546: Do you not think I would give anything to have delivered that speech with you in the audience?

Θεμιστίῳ. (356/57) Εἶτ᾿ οὐκ οἴει με τοῦ παντὸς ἂν πρίασθαι τὸ σοῦ καθη- μένου δεῖξαι τὸν λόγον; ἀλλ’, οἶμαι, σέ τε κωλύειν οὐκ ἦν καλὸν ἐμοί τε λέγειν οὐκ ἦν πω δυνατόν. τοῦ δὲ ὅπως κείσεται παρὰ σοὶ καὶ ταῦτα καὶ τῶν ἄλλων οὐκ ὀλίγα φρον- τιῶ. τοῖς τε γὰρ ἡμαρτημένοις οὐκ ἂν ἄλλος ἄμεινον βοηθοὶ τά τε μὴ κακῶς εἰρημένα δεξιώτερον ἐπαινέτην οὐκ ἂν λάβοι. Λητόιον δὲ καὶ πρότερον ἔγνως, ἡνίκα παρ’ ὑμῖν μὲν ἦν ἐγώ, παρὰ δὲ τὸν βασιλέα δι’ ὑμῶν οὗτος ἐχώρει, καὶ δεῦρο ἥκων εὗρες ἐν δόξῃ. καὶ νῦν ἐντυχών, εἰ πάνυ ποιήσαιο φί- λον, οὐ φήσεις βεβουλεῦσθαι κακῶς. πρὸς γὰρ τῷ φιλεῖν εἰδέναι καὶ μένειν οἶδεν ἐν τῷ φιλεῖν, ὃ δὴ καὶ σὺ μάλιστα ποιεῖς τε καὶ τιμᾷς. ἡμῖν δὲ ἀντὶ πολλῶν κατέστη λέγων, οὗ λέγειν ἔδει, πράττων, οὗ πράττειν ἴδει, διδούς, ἐν ᾧ χρῆν ἀναλώσαντα Μαὶ τὴν εὔνοιαν. ἔστω δὴ παρὰ σοὶ τίμιος καὶ φύσεως εἵνεκα καὶ τῶν πρὸς ἡμᾶς.