Letter 658: I hear that you uphold the laws in your courts, show gentleness toward the decent and severity toward those who...
Θεμιστίῳ. (361)
Ἀκούων σε τούς τε νόμους ἐν ταῖς δίκαις βεβαιοῦν καὶ
πρᾳότητι μὲν πρὸς τοὺς ἐπιεικεῖς, θυμῷ δὲ χρῆσθαι πρὸς
τοὺς δεομένους δίκης, τοὺς δὲ δήμους ἡδίους ποιεῖν διὰ τῶν
ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις χαρίτων ὅτι τὸ τῇ φύσει χαλεπὸν
ῥᾷστόν ἐστί σοι, τὸ ἄρχειν καλῶς.
νόμιζε δὲ τὸ τῷ χρηστῷ
Σευήρῳ σεσωκέναι τὸν οἶκον μηδὲν ἥττω σοι κόσμον ὧν κατέ-
λεξα τούτων ἴχειν. τὰς γὰρ πόλεις οὐχ οἱ πλουτοῦντες μόνοι
ποιοῦσι λαμπράς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσοι πόνους ὑπὲρ παιδείας ὑπή-
νεγκαν, ὧν εἷς οὗτος ὃν εὖ ποιεῖς. φαίην δ’ ἂν ὅτι καὶ μεῖζον
πόλεσιν εἰς δόξαν οἱ τοῦτο ἔχοντες τῶν ἐκεῖνα κεκτημένων,
μὴ οὖν ἄχρηστον οἰέσθων οἱ πολῖται Σευήρου Σευῆρον
καὶ ἦττον ἢ τὸ δύνασθαι λειτουργεῖν μηδ’ ὅταν ὑλακτοῦντες
ὑπὸ σοῦ κωλύωνται, ζημίαν τὸ κέρδος ἡγείσθων ὃ τήν τε
σὴν σεμνύνει γνώμην καὶ τὸ κοινὸν ἐκείνοις.
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