Letter 551: People find it puzzling that you never shy away from doing things on my behalf, yet will not add a letter -- the...
Βαρβατίωνι. (357)
Αἴνιγμα δοκεῖ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὸ τῶν μὲν ἔργων σε τῶν
ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν μηδὲ ἓν φεύγειν, γράμματα δέ, πρᾶγμα οὕτω
ῥᾷστον, μὴ προστιθέναι τοῖς ἔργοις.
ἐγὼ δὲ οὓς μὲν ἔνεστιν
ἐξαπατᾶν, πρὸς μὲν τούτους φημὶ καὶ γράμματα λαμβάνειν·
ὑφ’ ὧν δ’ ἂν ἐλεγχοίμην, εἰ προσποιοίμην, λέγω σοὶ μὲν προσ-
ήκειν πράττειν, ἐμαυτῷ δὲ γράφειν· λέγειν δὲ οὐδὲν ἰσχυρὸν
δοκῶ.
φέρων δὲ οὐδὲ πρὸ τοῦ ταυτηνὶ τὴν ζημίαν μετρίως,
ἀφ’ οὗ Κλημάτιον μὲν ᾐσθόμην ἀφῖχθαι, λαβεῖν δὲ οὐδ’
οὕτως ἐδυνήθην ἐπιστολήν, οὐδ’ ἂν εἴποιμι ῥᾳδίως ὡς ἠνιά-
θην. ὁ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος εὐθὺς ἰδών σε τοῦτό μοι πρά-
ξειν ἔφη καὶ ἐψεύσατο· εἰ μὲν ἐκλαθόμενος, εἰσὶν ἐλπίδες· εἰ
δ’ οὐδὲν παρείς, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐρῶ τι δυσχερές.
Λητόιος δὲ
τῶν ταὐτά μοι περὶ σὲ φρονούντων ἐστί· καὶ γὰρ εὖ πράττειν
σε βούλοιτ’ ἂν καὶ ὅστις ἐπαινεῖ σε, τούτῳ φίλος. συνεύχεται
δὲ σοὶ μὲν οὗτος, τούτῳ δὲ ἡ πόλις, ἣν οὐδὲν οὐδεπώποτε
λυπήσας πολλάκις ἀπὸ τῆς πατρῴας οὐσίας εὔφρανεν.
ὡς
ἂν οὖν ἐν τούτῳ τὸ κοινὸν ἡμῖν τιμήσων χαίροντα ἀπόπεμπε
τὸν ἄνδρα.
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