Letter 778: You yourself spoke first of the consolation — which you might rightly call a celebration too — a wife good,...
Βασσιανῷ (362)
Αὐτὸς ἔφθης εἰπὼν τὴν παραμυθίαν, ἣν εἰκότως ἂν
προσείποις καὶ ἑορτήν, γυναῖκα ἀγαθήν τε καὶ καλὴν καὶ με-
γάλην· ἄλλος δ’ ἂν καὶ τὸν πλοῦτον προσέθηκε.
τῆς δ’
ἐμῆς σιγῆς τὴν αἰτίαν πρόσθεν ἀληθείας ἄγων ὀρθῶς ἂν ποι-
οἶς. εἰ μὲν γὰρ αἰτηθεὶς ἐπιστολὴν ὤκνουν, αὐτὸς ἂν ἠδίκουν·
οὐδενὸς δὲ αἰτοῦντος ἠδίκημαι μετὰ σοῦ τοῦ μὴ λαβόντος ὁ
μὴ γράψας ἐγώ.
θαυμάζω δὲ ὅτι γεωργήσας καλῶς καὶ
σπείρας καὶ προσδοκῶν τὸν στάχυν ἄλλοις μὲν ἐπέστειλας τὰ
περὶ τὴν ἄρουρα ἐμοὶ δὲ οὔ. ὃν δεήσει πλείω τῶν ἄλλων
περὶ τὸν ἐσόμενον πονεῖν.
ἀλλ’ ἴσως ᾐδέσθης. ἐγὼ δέ σε
ἠξίουν, εἰ μὴ ταῦτα ἐπέπρακτό σοι, τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ἡμᾶς
αἰδεῖσθαι. νῦν δέ σοι συγχαίρομεν ἐγγὺς ὄντι τῆς τῶν πατέ-
ρων προσηγορίας.
φάνηθι τοίνυν ἡμῖν μετὰ τοῦ παιδίου.
παρακολουθείτω δὲ καὶ ὁ τῷ γάμῳ τὸ ᾆσμα πεποιηκώς, ἱν
ἐπὶ τῷ προτέρῳ μισθῷ καὶ τὸν μείζω λάβῃ, λόγους μετὰ τὸν
χιτῶνα. πάντως οὐκ ἀντερεῖ σοι Θεοδώρα χάριν οὕτως αἰ-
τοῦντι δικαίαν τε καὶ αὐτῇ κατὰ νοῦν.
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