Letter 663: If Julian were not my friend, I would envy him his fortune — that he had your company here with us before, and now...
Εὐσεβίῳ. (361)
Εἰ μὴ μοι φίλος ἦν Ἰουλιανός, κἂν ἐφθόνουν αὐτῷ
τῆς τύχης, ὅτι σε καὶ μεθ’ ἡμῶν εἶχεν ἐνθάδε καὶ νῦν ἄνευ
ἡμῶν πάλιν ἔχει· νῦν δὲ φθονῶ μὲν ἥκιστα, μακαρίζω δὲ
μάλιστα καὶ συνόντα καὶ φιλούμενον.
σὺ γὰρ οὐ ῥήμασι
καὶ τραπέζῃ τὴν φιλίαν ὁρίζεις, ἀλλ’ ὅντινα τούτου τοῦ προσ-
ῥήματος ἠξίωσας, περὶ τοῦτον εὐθὺς καὶ ἔργα. καὶ οὔτι κίν-
δυνον φοβούμενος οὔθ’ ὑπὸ πόνου κρατούμενος γένοιο ἂν
εἰς ἑταῖρον κακός, ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ ᾧ θεοὶ συλλαμβάνουσιν οὐκ
ἔστιν ἁμαρτεῖν πράξεως, οὕτως ὅστις διὰ σοῦ τὰ αὑτοῦ ποιεῖται,
καὶ τυχεῖν τούτων ἀνάγκη.
τυχὼν δὴ καὶ κατωρθωκὼς ἐγὼ
ταῦτα λέγω πολλοῖς μὲν ἠνωχληκὼς καὶ σχὼν ἐν πολλοῖς ἐλ-
πίδας, κενὰς δὲ πάσας εὑρὼν πλὴν τῶν πορὰ σοῦ. μήτ’ οὖν
σὺ παύσαιο δυνάμενος μήθ’ ἡμεῖς ἐκπέσοιμεν τοῦ τιμᾶσθαι
παρὰ σοί.
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