Letter 615: I have spoken to you many times about the long-standing friendship of the admirable Thalassius toward me, and about...
Εὐφημίῳ. (361)
Καὶ περὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοῦ θαυμαστοῦ Θα-
λασσίου φιλίας καὶ περὶ τῶν πόνων, οὓς ὑπέμεινεν, ὅπως
σωθείην, ὅτε ὁ σκηπτὸς ἐκεῖνος κεκίνητο, πολλάκις οἶδα πρὸς
σὲ διελθών· ἐφ’ ᾧ μέγα τε ἐβόησας τὸν ἄνδρα θαυμάσας καὶ
σαυτοῦ σωτῆρα καὶ εὐεργέτην ἐκάλεις ἐκ τῶν πρὸς ἐμέ.
τοῦτον ἰδὼν ἐγὼ σκυθρωπὸν ἐν ἀγορᾷ καθήμενον ἐταράχθην
καὶ προσιὼν ἠρώτων, ὅθεν ἡμῖν τοιοῦτός ἐστιν, ὁ δὲ ἐσίγα.
τῇ σιγῇ δὲ αὐτὸς ἐταραττόμην πλέον.
ἔπειτα τὸν μὲν ἀφείς.
ἐπ’ ἄλλον δέ τινα τῶν συνήθων ἐλθὼν πράγματα ἔμαθον, ἃ
τὸν μὲν εἰκότως ἐλύπησεν, ὑπὸ σοῦ δὲ δικαίως ἂν κωλυθείη.
τιμωρίας γὰρ ἴσως τῆς ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπραγμένοις οὐκ ἔξεστι μνη-
σθῆναι· τοιαῦτα τὰ παρόντα.
γράφω δέ σοι τὸν μὲν λα-
θῶν, βουλόμενος δέ σοί τε ἔργων καλῶν ἀφορμὰς παρέχειν
αὐτός τε φαίνεσθαι μεμνημένος τοῦ χεῖρα ὀρέξαντος ἐν και-
ροῖς θεοῦ τινος χρῄζουσιν.
οἶμαι δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἡρακλέα
τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς μεμνημένον διατελεῖν, ὅτι δι’ αὐτὴν ἐξέφυγεν,
ὥς φησιν Ὅμηρος, τὴν Στύγα ἥκων ἐπὶ τὸν Κέρβερον. εἰ δὲ
μὴ παρῆν ἡ θεὸς καὶ ἐβοήθει, τάχα ἄν — ἀλλ’ ἀφίημι τὸ
λοιπὸν Ἡρακλέους τιμῇ.
τί οὖν; δεῖ σε καὶ δεινὸν καὶ
παράνομον καὶ τῆς σῆς ἀρχῆς ἀνάξιον καὶ νομίσαι καὶ μι-
σῆσαι. ὁ Εὐρύβατος ἐκεῖνος ἢ Φρυνώνδας, μᾶλλον δὲ πάν-
τὰς τοὺς ἐπὶ πονηρίᾳ διαβεβοημένους Αἰακοὺς ἀποφήνας καὶ
τὰς χάριτας ἀμειβόμενος κατηγορίᾳ καὶ γραφῇ οἶδε μὲν ὅτι
θανατῶντος ἔργον ἐποίησε πλῆθος μὲν αἰτιῶν ἐπενεγκών,
ἔχων δὲ ἐλέγχειν οὐδέν, τό τε σὸν ὀρέξεται ξίφος, ὃ διὰ τῶν
συκοφαντῶν ἦλθέ τε ἤδη καὶ πορεύσεται, νομίζων δὲ κερδα-
νεῖν ὅ τι ἂν ἐπὶ προφάσει τῆς δίκης κακώσῃ Θαλασσίου τὸν
οἶκον, πάντας μέν φησι δύνασθαι μαρτυρεῖν, πάντας δὲ κε-
λεύει συλλαμβάνειν.
καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ τῆς τέχνης αὐτῷ κεχώ-
ρηκεν εἰς ἔργον. ἔρημοι μὲν ἀγροί, καρποὶ δὲ ἀπολώλασιν,
ἐπιμεληταὶ δὲ χωρίων εἰς ὄρη φεύγουσιν. οἱ δὲ ἔχοντες φθό-
ὄν εἰς τὸν ἄνδρα γυμνοῦσι τὸ πάθος καὶ Μυσῶν λείαν πε-
ποιήκασι τὰ τούτου, δι’ ὃν ἐκ κινδύνων ἐλύθησαν πολλάκις.
κἂν δέῃ τέκτονας ἤ τι τοιοῦτον εἰς τὴν κοινὴν εἰσενεχθῆ-
νᾶι χρείαν, ἐκ τῶν Θαλασσίου τῆς φορᾶς ὑπερήμισυ γίνεται
νομίζουσι γὰρ κεῖσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον.
τῷ δὲ τά τε πρῶτα
τῆς δίκης δόξαν ἤνεγκε τὴν ἀμείνω καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ θεοῦ δι-
δόντος συνέσται τῷ προοιμίῳ, καί τις αὐτὸν ὄψεται τοὺς νῦν
ὑβρίζοντας μετιόντα.
ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅπως με
ἐξέφυγε καὶ ταῦτα εἰδότα φυλάττεσθαι μὴ μεγάλα λέγειν· σὺ
δὲ ὡς ἂν ἐμοῦ ταῦτα πάσχοντος ἀλγήσας καὶ προσέτι γε σαυ-
τὸν μετ’ ἐμοῦ ταῦτα πάσχειν νομίσας μέμψαι μὲν τὰ τετολ-
μημένα, δεῖξον δὲ ὡς ὁ μὴ σωφρονῶν δώσει δίκην, κόσμησον
δὲ σαυτῷ τὴν ἀρχὴν ταῖς ὑπὲρ Θαλασσίου καὶ τῶν τούτου
πραγμάτων ὀργαῖς.
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