Letter 734: Back when we were enjoying that blessed life in Nicomedia -- rich not in wealth but in leisure for our studies --...
Κέλσῳ. (362)
Ὅτ᾿ ἐν Νικομηδείᾳ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας ἐκείνης ἀπηλαύομεν
οὐ πλουτοῦντες μᾶλλον ἑτέρων, ἀλλὰ σχολὴν ἄγοντες εἰς λόγους,
Βιθυνῶν ἦρχε Πομπηιανὸς ὁ χρηστός, ὁ δίκαιος, ὁ πενίαν
οὐδαμοῦ δυσχεράνας. ὁ λόγους τοὺς μὲν γνησίους τιμῶν, τοὺς
δ’ οὐ τοιούτους ἐλέγχων· πάντως δὲ οὐκ ἀμνημονεῖς ὡς τὸν
Ἀθήνηθεν, τὸν ἐσθήμασι λαμπρὸν ἐκωμῴδησεν ἄκοντα ἐμ-
βαλών, οὗ δείξειν τὴν ἀσθένειαν ἔμελλεν.
ἀπὸ δὴ τῶν
χρόνων ἐκείνων εὐεργέτην τε τὸν ἄνδρα ἐγραψάμην καὶ οὐδὲν
οὕτως ἐπιτάξει χαλεπόν, ὃ μὴ ποιῶν οὐκ ἂν ἡγοίμην ἀδικεῖν.
τὸ δὲ δὴ νῦν καὶ μάλα ῥᾷστον· κελεύει γάρ με δι’ ἐπιστολῆς
δεηθῆναί σου γυναικῶν τινων ἐπιμεληθῆναι δύο, Φιλοπάτρα
ὄνομα θατέρᾳ, τῇ δὲ ‘Eρμογἐνεια.
ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἠρόμην,
ἐφ’ ὁποῖα δὴ χρῄζουσι τῆς βοηθείας, ὅπως πρὸς τὴν φύσιν
τῶν πραγμάτων ἢ γράψω ἢ μή, ἀλλ’ ‘ὲν ἐκεῖνο πεπεικὼς
ἐμαυτόν, ὡς οὐκ ἂν Πομπηιανὸς γυναιξὶν ἐπὶ νόμους ἤμυνε,
δίδωμι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν εὐθέως.
σὺ δ’ οἷς ποιεῖς εὔφραινε
τὸν ἄνδρα ἐκεῖνον, ὅς μοι πολλάκις ἠγωνοθέτησεν
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