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...

To Eusebius. (~361 AD) If Julian were not my friend, I would envy him his fortune — that he had your company here with us before, and now has it again without us. But as it is, I feel no envy at all; instead I count him most blessed, both for being with you and for being loved by you. For you do not define friendship by words and dinner tables. Rather, the moment you have honored someone with that title, deeds follow at once. Neither fear of danger nor the weight of toil would ever make you a bad companion. Just as a man whom the gods assist cannot fail in his undertaking, so whoever entrusts his affairs to you is bound to succeed. I say this as one who has succeeded and prospered through you. I pestered many people and placed my hopes in many — and found them all empty, except for what came from you. May you never lose your power to help, and may I never fall from the honor of your regard.

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.