Letter 686: I have loved and admired you since those days when Klematios — that man who, after a just life, met an unjust end —...
Χρωματίῳ. (361/62)
Ἐγώ σε ἐξ ἐκείνων καὶ φιλῶ καὶ θαυμάζω τῶν χρόνων,
ἐν οἷς ἀπὸ τῆς παρ’ ὑμῖν ἀρχῆς ἥκων Κλημάτιος ἐκεῖνος, ὃς
ἐπὶ δικαίῳ βίῳ τελευτὴν οὐ δικαίαν ἐδέξατο πολλὰ μὲν τὴν
Παλαιστίνην ἐπῄνει, κεφάλαιον δὲ τῶν καλῶν τὴν σὴν ὡρίζετο
φύσιν.
ἐγὼ δὲ ἀκούων ἀνδρὸς ἀρετήν, εἰμὶ ἴε τῶν τοιού-
των ἐρωτικός, ἐκινούμην τε καὶ οἷος ἦν ἐπιστέλλειν. ἔπειτ᾿
οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅπως ἀφῃρέθην τὴν ὁρμήν. ἀλλὰ νῦν ἀποδίδωμι καὶ
δῆτα ὡς παλαιὸς φίλος εὐθὺς ἐπαγγέλλω χάριν πείθων ἐμαυ-
τὸν ὡς οὐ μέμψῃ μᾶλλον ἢ δώσεις.
Βάσσος οὗτος ἤδη
γεγονὼς ὑπὲρ εἴκοσιν ἴτη, πένης πένητος πατρός, ἦλθεν ἐκ
Φοινίκης παρ’ ἐμὲ κατὰ λόγων ἐπιθυμίαν, εἰδὼς δὲ πονεῖν
καὶ φεύγων ἡδονὰς ἐκτήσατο τοσοῦτον ὅσον ἐγὼ μὲν ἐπαινεῖν
ὀκνῶ, σοὶ δὲ ἴσως οὐ μικρὸν δόξει.
τῇ μὲν οὖν πατρίδι
μικρὸν ἔμπροσθεν ἐφάνη καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις Φοίνιξι καὶ ῥήτωρ
ἐνομίσθη νῦν δ’ ἐπελθεῖν ἐθέλων τὴν Παλαιστίνην, εἰ παρὰ
σοί τε ὁρμίσαιτο καὶ μετὰ σῶν γραμμάτων ἔλθοι παρὰ τοὺς
ἄλλους ὅσονπερ παρ’ ὑμὶν, τοσοῦτον ἕξειν ἡγεῖται πανταχοῦ
διὰ σοῦ.
γενοῦ δὴ λιμὴν ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ λέγειν εἰδότι καὶ
φιλεῖν καὶ μεμνῆσθαι χάριτος· ἡμεῖς δέ σε ἐπαινεσόμεθα.
πάντως δὲ ὑπὲρ ἐπαίνου πάντα ποιεῖς, ὅθεν σοι κοὶ τοὔνομα
λαμπρόν, ἐπεὶ χρημάτων γε μεγέθει πολλοί σε νικῶσιν.
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