Letter 637: The profit is yours, if you are seen to benefit the household of Bassiana, a woman who deserves every fine word I...

To Italicianus. (361) The profit is yours, if you are seen to benefit the household of Bassiana, a woman who deserves every fine word I can say about her. See to it, then, that you seize the opportunity and prove more generous to Rufinus than he himself would ask. He has come to inspect their land in Asia and to set right anything that has been disturbed. Such matters require the goodwill of those in authority — which you have always shown toward these people, and which I know you will now display even more brilliantly.

Ἰταλικιανῷ. (361) Σὸν τὸ κέρδος, εἴ τι δόξεις εὑ ποιεῖν τὸν οἶκον τῆς πάντα ἐμοὶ τὰ κάλλιστα προσειπεῖν ἀξίας Βασσιανῆς. ὅπως τοίνυν χρήσῃ τῷ καιρῷ καὶ γένῃ βελτίων εἰς Ῥουφῖνον ἢ βούλεται. ἥκει δὲ γῆν τὴν οὖσαν αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀσίας ὀψόμενος καὶ καταστήσων, εἴ τι τετάρακται. τὰ τοιαῦτα δὲ τῆς παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων δέοιτ’ ἂν εὐνοίας, ἣν ἀεὶ σὺ περὶ τούσδε φυλάξας νῦν οἶδ’ ὅτι λαμπρότερον δείξεις.