Letter 760: If you were sending me a great quantity of Colophonian gold, or something more precious than gold, and you sent the...
Πομπηιανῷ. (362)
Εἴ μοι χρυσὸν ἀποστέλλων πολύν τε καὶ Κολοφώνιον
ἢ ἄλλο τι χρυσοῦ τιμιώτερον ἄνευ γραμμάτων ἀπέστελλες τὸ
δῶρον, οὐκ ἂν οἴει τὸ πρᾶγμα ἄτοπον εἶναι καὶ φιλοῦντος
μέν, οὐ θαρροῦντος δέ;
εὖ τοίνυν ἴσθι πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν
ἀτοπίαν ἥκων μετὰ σιγῆς πέμψας τοὺς υἱεῖς. μᾶλλον γὰρ ἂν
ἦν εἰκὸς οἴκοι τούσδε κατέχοντα νόμῳ προσρήσεως γράφειν ἢ
διδόντα μοι τοὺς παῖδας ἐπιστολὴν μὴ τολμῆσαι προσθεῖναι.
ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν ἀπολογίαν ζήτει, ζητήσεις δέ, οἴμαι, τὸν πάντα
χρόνον, οὐ γὰρ εὑρήδεις· ἐμὲ δὲ οὐ ποιήσει πρὸς τούτους
ἀργότερον τὸ μὴ γράμματα λαβεῖν οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν πόλιν
ὑμῶν, ἣν οἶμαι δεῖν οὐχ ἧττον ἢ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ φιλεῖν, ἀλλ’
ὅτι καὶ πρὸς λόγους ἐρρῶσθαί μοι δοκοῦσι καὶ πρὶν ὶδεῖν ἐμὲ
τῶν ἐμῶν εἱστιῶντο.
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What a treasure I had in my hands and never used!
To the most merciful Emperors, the Christian and most glorious princes Gratian, Valentinian, and Theodosius — from...
To the Emperor Julian.
I remember you, for I love you, and I write, for I wish to please you.