Letter 665: I have told the excellent Phosphorus [the new governor] what sort of man you are — your character, your learning,...
To Amphilochius. (361)
I informed the excellent Phosphorius of what sort of man you are, and what your character is, and what your eloquence, and of whose children you are the father; for already you enjoy the distinction of being honored on account of your sons. And he both welcomed my words and said that he would do everything so that matters might stand well both for me and for you.
So restore your ruined affairs, and prepare for your sons fields that bear every kind of fruit, and console your old age with the hopes that arise from these.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Ἀμφιλοχίῳ. (361)
Ἐδίδαξα τὸν καλὸν Φωσφόρον, ὁποδαπός τε εἴης καὶ
τίς τὸν τρόπον καὶ τίς τοὺς λόγους καὶ τίνων πατήρ, ἤδη
γὰρ ἔστι σοι τὸ διὰ τοὺς παῖδας τιμᾶσθαι, ὁ δὲ ἐδέξατό τε
τοὺς λόγους καὶ πάντα ἔφη ποιήσειν ὥστ’ ἔχειν ἐμοί τε καὶ
σοὶ καλῶς.
ἀνακτῶ δὴ τὰ διεφθαρμένα τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ
τοῖς υἱέσιν ἑτοίμαζε παμφόρους ἀγροὺς καὶ παραμυθοῦ τὸ
γῆρας ταῖς ἀπὸ τούτων ἐλπίσιν.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern libanius retranslated v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/First1KGreek/blob/master/volume_xml/libanius_10.xml
Related Letters
If I were not doing these things, I would be doing wrong; but in doing them, I should not reasonably expect praise.
As to the subject of your letter, these are my sentiments. I am not angry at being overlooked, but I am glad when I am honoured. The one is my own desert, the other is a proof of your respect.
[Note: The source text survives only as a single sentence fragment, likely due to a lacuna in the manuscript...
(The following letter is sometimes attributed to Basil, and is found in his works as well as in those of Gregory. The mss. however, with only a single exception, give it to the latter.) You give me pleasure both by writing and remembering me, and a much greater pleasure by sending me your blessing in your letter.
The honorable Severus has enlisted me in fulfilling his dearest wish.