Letter 560: That letter of mine was old and written as a joke.
Φουρτουνατιανῷ. (357)
Ἐμὸν τὸ γράμμα καὶ παλαιὸν καὶ πρὸς παιδιὰν γραφέν.
ἔτυχον μὲν γάρ σοι πέμψας ἐπιστολὴν ἀπὸ τῶν τόπων ὧν
ἄσμενος ἀπηλλάγην, ἡ δὲ εἰς ἄλλων ἐλθοῦσα χεῖρας ἐκείνους
πρὸς σὲ περὶ τῶν πρὸς σὲ γραφέντων ἐποίει λέγειν. σοὶ δ’
ἄτοπόν τι τοῦτο ἐφαίνετο καὶ γράφων ἐθαύμαζες, ὅ τι τὸ
πρᾶγμα εἴη.
καί σε προσπαίζων ἔγραψα ταῦτα ἃ νυνὶ φὴς
εὑρεῖν. ἃ σπουδῇ νομίσας εἰρῆσθαι δόξης μὲν ἥμαρτες, ἐμοὶ
δὲ λυσιτελούντως διὰ γάρ τοι πολλῶν καὶ καλῶν ἠγωνίσω
τῶν λόγων, οὓς εἰρῆσθαί μᾶλλον εἶχέ μοι καλῶς ἢ σεσιγῆ-
σθαι.
τὸν δὲ Κύριλλον πάλαι παῖδα νομίζων ἐμαυτοῦ νῦν
ἤδη καὶ μειζόνως. παρὰ σοῦ γὰρ ἥκει μοι νῦν τοῦ πάππου
τιμιώτερος.
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