Letter 667: If you did not already know from what length of time and through how many acts the friendship between us and our...
Ἰουλιανῷ. (361)
Εἰ μὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ᾔδεις, ἐξ ὅσου χρόνου καὶ δι’ ὅσων
ἔργων καὶ συνέστη καὶ ηὐξήθη ἡ πρὸς τὸν χρηστὸν ἡμῖν Μα-
γεδόνιον φιλία, τοῦτο πρῶτον ἐδίδασκον ἄν· εἰδότι δὲ τὰ
πεποιηκότα ταύτην οὐκέτ’ ἂν φανείη θαυμαστὸν εἰ βοηθεῖν
οἶμαι δεῖν διὰ γραμμάτων, ὃς οὐδὲ κίνδυνον φύγοιμ’ ἂν τὸν
ὑπὲρ φίλων
πέπεικε δέ με χάριν αἰτεῖν οὐ τὸ σὲ διδόναι
καὶ ῥᾳδίως καὶ πάσας, ἀλλὰ τὸ τὴν μὲν εἶναι καὶ καλὴν καὶ
δικαίαν, σὲ δὲ εἰδέναι τὰς τοιαύτας διδόναι· ὡς ὅστις οὐδ’
ἂν τούτων δοίη τοῖς φίλοις, ὧν οὐκ ἂν ἅψαιτο μέμψις, οὗτος
ἐπιλαμβάνεται τῆς τοῦ Δῖός θυγατρός, ἣ τὰς Χάριτας ἐν
προπυλαίοις ἔχει.
ἀλλ’ ὅτι μὲν οὐ φαῦλα αἰτοῦσι χαριῇ,
παντί που δῆλον· σκόπει δὲ ὧν χρῇζομεν εἰ δύναται μὴ
τῶν αἰσχρῶν εἶναι. γαμεῖ γυναῖκα Μακεδόνιος, ᾗ παιδίον ἦν
ἐκ προτέρων γάμων, τὸ δὲ οἴχεται.
βουλόμεθα δὴ κληρο-
νόμον ἀντὶ τοῦ πάππου τῶν τοῦ παιδίου γενέσθαι τὴν τοῦ
παιδίου μητέρα πειθομένου γε τοῦ πάππου χρήσασθαι φιλο-
τιμίᾳ καὶ τὸν μὲν νόμον ἀφιέντος, πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἔπαινον βλέ-
ποντος.
σὸς τοίνυν ὁ ἆθλος πεῖσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὅτι
μεῖζον κέρδος μὴ λαβεῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἢ λαβεῖν. ἔσῃ δὲ ἀμ-
φοτέρωθεν πιθανός, ἔκ τε τοῦ δύνασθαι λέγειν καὶ τοῦ σχή-
μάτος τῆς ἀρχῆς. ἀκούω δὲ καὶ τὸν πρεσβύτην εὐφημίᾳ τε
χαίρειν καὶ σκοπεῖν οὐχ ὅ τι κτήσεται μᾶλλον ἢ ὅ τι ἀκούσεται.
μὴ τοίνυν ὀκνήσῃς καὶ καλέσαι καἰ διαλεχθῆναι καὶ κα-
τασκευάσαι πρᾶξιν φιλανθρωποτέραν νόμου μηδ’ οἴου πρὸς
ἡμᾶς ἀπολογίαν εὑρήσειν ἢ μὴ σαυτοῦ νομίζων τοὺς ὑπὲρ
τοιούτων λόγους ἢ καταφεύγων εἰς τὸ μὴ δεδυνῆσθαι πεῖσαι.
πόρρω τε γὰρ αἰσχύνης, εἰ τῇ τεκούσῃ μὲν χρημάτων, τῷ
πατρὶ δὲ ἐκείνης παραίτιος γένοιο δόξης, καὶ λόγος ἅπας [<ὁ>
παρὰ σοῦ μετὰ πάσης ἰσχύος τὸν ἀκούοντα χειροῦται.
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