Letter 659: If I did not know you as a man who understands friendship — one who has often worried and labored so that some good...
Ἰταλικιανῷ (361)
Εἰ μή σε ᾔδειν φιλεῖν ἐπιστάμενον καὶ πολλὰ πολλάκις
καὶ μεριμνήσαντα καὶ πονήσαντα τοῦ τοῖς ἑταίροις ἀγαθόν τι
γενέσθαι, πάνυ ἂν ἔδεισα μή σοι προσστῇ τὸ πλῆθος γραμ-
μάτων· νῦν δέ, τῶν γὰρ ἐπαινούντων εἶ καὶ αὐτὸς τὸν Ἀχιλ-
λέα, πιστεύω δόξειν εἶναι χρηστός, ὅτι βοῶν καὶ δεόμενος οὐ
παύομαι.
λέγω δὴ πάλιν ὡς Σευῆρος συνεχόρευσεν ἡμῖν
τὰ μὲν ἐλάττω μεθ’ ἡμῶν μανθάνων, δυνηθεὶς δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ
μείζω προβῆναι καὶ νῦν, ἂν ζητῇς, ἐν αὐτῷ φιλοσοφίαν
εὑρήσεις Μαξίμου φυτευσαμένου τουτὶ τὸ καλὸν ἐν τῇ τοῦδε
ψυχῇ.
Μάξιμον δὲ ὥσπερ ἆν ἐτίμας ζῶντα, τίμα καὶ με-
ταστάντα. τιμῴης δ’ ἂν μειζόνως Σευήρῳ βοηθεῖν ἀξιῶν ἢ
εἰ προσιὼν ἐστεφάνους αὐτῷ τὸν τάφον.
ἀλλ’ ὅπως μή σε
ἡ χλαμὺς καὶ ὁ πώγων ἀπὼν εἰς ἀπιστίαν ἐμβάλῃ περὶ τῶν
ἐν αὐτῷ λόγων τῶν σεμνοτέρων. οὗτος γὰρ κατ’ Αἰσχύλον
εἶναι ἐθέλων μᾶλλον ἢ δοκεῖν τούτοις ἀντ’ ἐκείνων χρῆται
ὥσπερ οὖν οὐ πάντως μετὰ τοῦ τρίβωνος καὶ τῶν τριχῶν ἡ
σοφία, οὕτω γένοιτ’ ἂν ἄνευ τούτων εἶναι σπουδαῖον.
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