Letter 627: That you love and miss both us and our city — well done.

LibaniusGerontios|c. 373 AD|Libanius
friendship

Γεροντίῳ. (361)

Ὅτι μὲν καὶ φιλεῖς καὶ ποθεῖς καὶ ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν ἡμε-
τέραν πόλιν, εὖ ποιεῖς· Αἰγύπτου δὲ μὴ καταβόα μηδ’ ὅπως
ἀπαλλάξῃ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ζήτει.

εἰ γὰρ οἷς ὑπῆρξεν ἐν ἰδιώτου
σχήματι Νεῖλόν τε ἰδεῖν καὶ τὰ Νείλου κοὶ Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὰ
Αἰγύπτου μακαρίους καλοῦμεν, ποῦ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῶν τοιού-
των θετέον, ᾧ μετὰ θεραπείας μὲν μεγάλης ἔστιν ἐπιέναι
καὶ γῆν καὶ πόλεις καὶ λίμνας καὶ ποταμὸν καὶ διώρυχας
καὶ στόματα, πανταχοῦ δὲ τῆς ἀρετῆς αὑτοῦ καὶ προ-
νοίας ἐγκατοικίζειν ἀποδείξεις;

ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅ γε δῆμος ὁ
τῶν Ἀλεξανδρέων κἂν ἐπὶ τῶν κεφαλῶν ἄρχοντα ἀγαθὸν
περιφέροι σὺ δὲ τοιοῦτος φρενῶν τε ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἥκων καὶ
λόγων καὶ νόμων καὶ τοῦ τῶν καλῶν ἐπιθυμεῖν, ὥστ’ ἔγωγε
πιστεύω πάντα τὰ πρὸ τοῦ σμικρὰ φανεῖσθαι πρὸς τὰ παρὰ
σοῦ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἐσόμενα ἀγαθά.

εἰ δὲ τῷ μὴ ἡμᾶς
ὁρᾶν ἀνιᾷ, νόμιζε μὲν καὶ ἡμᾶς εἰς ταὐτὸν ἥκει παραμυθοῦ
δὲ καλλίονι φίλῳ τὴν ἀπουσίαν ἡμῶν. καλλίων δὲ φίλος Εὐ-
δαίμων ὁ ποιητὴς οὐχ ἧττον τοῦτο εἰδὼς ἢ κάλλος ποιημάτων.
οὗτός σοι καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀθάνατα καταστήσει.

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