Letter 66: When I have asked favors of you for others, I felt I was doing those people a kindness.

**To Themistius** (359) When I have commended others to you, I believed I was conferring a favor on them. But if you do anything to oblige Olympius, I consider that you will be receiving a favor rather than giving one. For this is the man who made Macedonia prosperous when he had scarcely left boyhood behind, and who afterward shunned office more than others have sought it. He has so devoted himself to justice that every man who suffers wrong takes refuge with him, every man who transgresses the laws fears him, and our governors have but one ambition — to win his vote of approval. He and I have inherited a friendship from our fathers. He labors in every way on my behalf, while from me he receives only praise for his devotion, since I could do nothing to match it. But you — repay the man, or rather, give him some small thing in return for great things, on our behalf. He has transferred to your senate from the greater one — and you will forgive me for calling Rome's senate the greater when yours has you. Let him receive from you, then, what he received from them. And what was that? They were content simply to have his name enrolled among their number. Better still, neither grant him this nor demand of him more than his means allow. For in any assessment of the best men, Olympius stands first; but where contributions must be paid, he is last of all. You can easily learn the measure of his estate from the officials charged with such matters. You must therefore be on your guard: whenever money must be levied, see that you do him no injustice — and even before that, whenever you summon your senators, see that you do not uproot him from here. For his mother is alive and in his hands, and alive precisely because she can see him. She could not endure the separation. And his affairs, should any such thing happen, would be ruined. This you would not wish to see destroyed. Persuade yourself, then, that by these same measures you will be helping us and acting in a manner worthy of philosophy, and secure for us an untroubled guarantee of his safety.

Θεμιστίῳ. (359) Ὑπὲρ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων σε παρακαλῶν ἐκείνοις ᾤμην δι- δόναι χάριν, Ὀλυμπίῳ δὲ εἴ τι πράξαις κεχαρισμένον, λήψε- σθαί σε μᾶλλον ἢ δώσειν ἡγοῦμαι χάριν. οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ τὴν μὲν Μακεδονίαν εὐδαίμονα ποιήσας ἄρτι παίδων ἐξελθών, τὸ δὲ ἄρχειν μετὰ ταῦτα πλέον φυγὼν ἢ ἐζήτησαν ἕτεροι. τῷ δικαίω δὲ οὕτως αὑτὸν δέδωκεν ὥστε ἀδικούμενος μὲν πᾶς ἐπὶ τοῦτον καταφεύγει, τοὺς νόμους δὲ ἐκβαίνων τοῦτον δέδοικε, τοῖς δὲ ἄρχουσιν ἡμῶν μία σπουδὴ τὴν παρὰ τοῦδε ψῆφον λαβεῖν. ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς πατρικὴν διαδεξάμενοι φιλίαν, ὁ μὲν πάντα ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ πονεῖ, παρ’ ἐμοῦ δὲ ἔπαινός εἰς τὴν προθυμίαν· πρᾶξαι γὰρ οὐδὲν ἂν δυναίμην ἴσον. ἀλλὰ σύ γε τὸν ἄνδρα ἀμείβου, μᾶλλον δὲ μικρὰ ἀντὶ μεγά- λῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀντίδος. οἶτός γε εἰς τὴν ὑμετέραν μετ- έστη βουλὴν ἀπὸ τῆς μείζονος, συγγνώσῃ δὲ εἰ μείζω καλῶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων σὲ τῆσδε ἐχούσης. γενέσθω τοίνυν αὐτῷ παρ’ ὑμῶν ἕ παρ’ ἐκείνων. τί οὑν; ἐκείνοις ἤρκει τοὔνομα αὐτοῦ παρ’ αὑτοῖς ἐγγεγράφθαι. μᾶλλον δὲ μήτε τοῦτο δῶτε μήτε μείζω τῆς δυνάμεως ζητεῖτε. ἐν μὲν γὰρ ἐξετάσει τῶν ἀρίστων πρῶτος Ὀλύμπιος, οὗ δὲ εἰσενεγκεῖν δεῖ, πάντων ὕστατος γνῶναι δέ σοι ῥᾷστον τῆς οὐσίας τὸ μέτρον παρὰ τῶν ἐπὶ τούτῳ τεταγμένων. δεῖ δή σε παρατηρεῖν, ἡνίκα ἂν δέῃ δέῃ χρήματα φέρειν, ὅπως μὴ ἀδικήσητε, καὶ ἔτι γε πρότερον. ἡνίκα ἂν καλῆτε τοὺς βουλευτάς. ὅπως ἐνθένδε μὴ κινήσητε. μήτηρ τε γὰρ αὐτῷ ζῶσα ἐν ταῖς τοῦδε χερσὶ καὶ ζῶσά γε διὰ τοῦτο, ὅτι ἔξεστιν αὐτὸν ὁρᾶν. τοὔνομα δ’ οὐκ ἂν ἀπο- δημίας ἐνέγκαι. καὶ τὰ πράγματα, εἴ τι γένοιτο τοιοῦτον, οἰχήσεται. ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἂν σὺ διαφθαρῆναι δέξαιο. πεί- σας δὴ σαυτόν, ὡς ἡμῖν τε ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν βοηθήσεις καὶ τῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ προσήκοντα πράξεις, καθαρὰν ἡμῖν παρασκεύασον τὴν ἄδειαν.