Letter 730: What a treasure I had in my hands and never used!
Δημητρίῳ. (362)
Οἶον ἔχων ἐν χεροῖν ἀγαθὸν οὐκ ἐχρώμην Εὐκαρπίωνα
γὰρ τὸν καλὸν πολλαὶ μὲν πολλάκις δεῦρ’ ἤγαγον ἀνάγκαι,
τὴν κεφαλὴν δὲ ἐγὼ νοσῶν καὶ δυνάμενος πάλαι διὰ τῆς
παρὰ τῷδε ῥαῖσαι τέχνης μικρὰ μὶν αὐτῷ διελέχθην, οὐ μὴν
μέχρι τοῦ καὶ ζητῆσαι βοήθειαν προῆλθον.
ταυτὶ μὶν τῆς
πρὶν εὐηθείας ἤ, εἰ βούλει γε, δυστυχίας· ἀλλὰ νῦν ἥκουσί
τε ἀκριβέστερον περὶ τοῦ πάθους καὶ τήν τε φύσιν ἥτις ἦν
ἐξεῦρε καὶ δι’ ὧν ἢ στήσεται τελέως ἢ κουφότερον ἀνιάσει
ἕφρασε σκεψάμενος.
καὶ πεῖρόν γε τῆς ἐπικουρίας εὐθὺς
ἐν προοιμίοις ἐλαμβάνομεν οὐκ ἀγεννῆ· ὡς δὲ ἐπῄνουν τε καὶ
ὡμολόγουν, γνώτω τοίνυν ἴφη καὶ Δημήτριος
σοφιστής. τοῦτο δὲ ἦν εἰδότος ὅτι τοσαύτην αὐτῷ χάριν,
ὅσηνπερ ὁ κάμνων, εἴσῃ.
σὺ δ’ ὁμοῦ τι τὴν χάριν ὁμολογεῖν
καὶ κινεῖν ἐπί τι σοφώτερον· οἷα γὰρ ἐν μεγάλῳ πολέμῳ καὶ
μῆκος ἔχοντι πολλῶν δεῖ τῶν ἐπιτεχνήσεων. βιβλίον οὖν
ποιησάτω σοῦ πείθοντος, ὅπως εἰς ἐκεῖνο βλέποντες οὕτως
ἄγωμεν τὸ σῶμα πειθόμενοι τῷ νόμῳ.
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