Letter 718: So why did you sit by the Bosporus if you were only going to do the same thing in Cilicia?
Ῥουφίνῳ. (362)
Τί οὖν οὐκέτι περὶ τὸν Βόσπορον ἐκαθέζου μέλλων γε
τοῦτο ποιήσειν ἐν Κιλικίᾳ; Κέλσῳ μὲν γὰρ ἐπανήκεις, ἡμὶν
δὲ οὔπω.
καίτοι πάντα μὲν ἤλπιζον ἀκούσεσθαι παρὰ τοῦ
δοκιμάζειν τε δυναμένου καὶ φενακίζειν οὐκ εἰδότος, πᾶσαν
δὲ ἐκείνην ἀπολήψεσθαι τὴν εὐφροσύνην, ἣν εἶχον διὰ σοῦ
μετὰ σοῦ τὸν ἵππον ἐλαύνων, ὅτε σοὶ μὶν οὑμὸς ὁ μικρὸς
ἐπεβούλευε λακτίσαι θέλων, σὺ δ’ ὁμοῦ τε ἐφυλάττου καὶ
διηγοῦ τι τῶν σαυτοῦ τῇ διηγήσει τὸν Ὀδυσσέα μιμούμενος.
καὶ γὰρ δὴ καὶ Κύκλωπα διεπεφεύγεις, οἶμαι. τινὰ κτεῖναι
βουλόμενον καὶ τοῦτο ἔχοντα τέχνην, ξενίζειν, εἶτα φονεύειν
διαφέρει δὲ τοσοῦτον, ὅτι ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἄκοντος ἐσώθη τοῦ
Κύκλωπος τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἐκκόψας αὐτῷ, σὺ δὲ ὀρχήσει τὸν
τρόπον ἐνίκησας τοῦ λῃστοῦ καὶ φύλακα μέχρι τῶν ὅρων
εἶχες τὸν ἀκονῶντα ξίφος ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας.
ᾤμην
οὖν μοι τὴν κεφαλὴν τῶν αὐτῶν ἀπολαύσεσθαι φαρμάκων·
σὺ δὲ φίλῳ μὲν σύνει, φίλου δὲ ἀμελεῖς, καὶ οὐκ ἐμέρισας
τὸν χρόνον.
ἐβουλόμην μοι τὸν ἵππον τὸν μικρὸν μικρὰ
τῆς ἐμῆς συνιέναι φωνῆς κατ’ ἐκεῖνον τὸν Ἀχιλλέως, ὅπως
αὐτὸν παροξύναιμι καὶ ποιήσαιμί σοι χαλεπώτερον διδάξας
ὅσα ἠδίκημαι.
ἀλλ’ εἰ καὶ μὴ τοῦτο ἔστι μοι, τῷ γε εἰωθό:ι
θυμῷ λήψεται παρὰ σοῦ δίκην.
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