Letter 742: Agroicius and Eusebius are both former students of mine.
Ἀταρβίῳ. (362)
Ἀγροίκιος καὶ Εὐσεβίος τῶν ἐμοὶ πεπλησιακότων ἐστόν·
γενομένω δὲ τὼ νεανίσκω ῥήτορε γενναίω τιμῶνται μὲν ὑπ
ἐμοῦ, τιμῶνται δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν δεξιωτέρων, ὥστε καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις
αὐτοῖν, εἰ ταράττοιντο, συμβαίνει τῶν βοηθησόντων εὐπορεῖν.
Ἀλέξανδρος τοίνυν οὗτος οὐκ ἔμελλεν ὑπ’ ἐμοῦ περιοφθὴ-
σεσθαι συνοικῶν ἐκείνοιν ἀδελφῇ· δῆλον γὰρ ἦν ὡς τῆς μὲν
τούτου συμφορᾶς ἡ γυνὴ κοινωνήσει, τῆς δὲ ἐκείνης οὗτοι,
τῆς δὲ τούτων λύπης ἐγώ.
σὸν τοίνυν, ὦ ἄριστε, δι’ ἑνὸς
τοῦ πρώτου φείσασθαι τοσούτων, τοῦ Γε τελευταίου καὶ φί-
λου. καὶ μή με οἴου καθαρὸν αἰτίας ἡγεῖσθαι τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον
εἶναι, καίτοι φησὶ καὶ κελεύει τῶν ἐσχάτων αὑτῷ τιμᾶν, εἴ τις
ἐξελέγξειεν.
ἐγὼ τοίνυν ὁ ἐλέγχων εὑρέθην αὐτὸν τὸν φεύ-
γοντα μάρτυρα καθ’ αὑτοῦ λαβών. ὡς γὰρ ἐν τῷ λόγῳ σῆς
ὀργῆς ἐμνήσθη, τοῦτ’ ἔφην ὁμολογίαν εἶναι τῆς ἁμαρτίας
ἐκείνου· σοῦ μὲν γὰρ οὐδεπώποτε τοῦτο ἅψασθαι τὸ νόσημα,
τὸν δ’ ἴσως τι ῥᾳθυμήσαντα περιστῆσαί σοι τοῦ μέμφεσθαί
τι τῶν ἐκείνῳ πεπραγμένων ἀνάγκην.
ἤδη τοίνυν Ἀλεξάν-
δρου κατεψηφισμένος Ἀταρβίου δέομαι τοῦ καλοῦ γνώμην
τοιαύτην λαβεῖν, ἣ τῶν παρόντων Ἀλέξανδρον ἀπαλλάξει φό-
βῶν. ὥστε καὶ ἐμοῖς ἐμοῖς πολίταις ἐγγενέσθαι μαθεῖν ὡς οὐ
μάτην Ἄγκυραν ἐμαυτοῦ πατρί καλῶ πάντων ἐφεξῆς παρὰ
τῶν ἐκείνης οἰκητόρων τυγχάνων.
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