Letter 796: I was pleased that you urge me to do the very thing I urge you to do.
Μοδέστῳ. (363)
Ἥσθην ὅτι με παρακαλεῖς ἐφ’ ἅπερ ἐγὼ σέ· δῆλον γὰρ
ὅτι σὲ πέπεικα βοηθεῖν, εἰ τὴν ἐμὴν τάξιν λαβὼν ἐμὲ προ-
τρέπεις Ὑπερεχίῳ βοηθεῖν.
ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν οὔτε τῶν δυνα-
τῶν τι παρήσω τοῖς τ’ ἀδυνάτοις ἐπιχειρήσω. καὶ γὰρ εἰ μά-
ταιον, ἀλλὰ τῷ φιλοῦντι πρέπον, καὶ ἤδη γ’ ἂν ἐπέπρακτό τι
περὶ τὸν νεανίσκον, εἰ μὴ τὸ βραδέως ἐλθεῖν ἐκώλυσε τὸ
ἔργον. οὐ μὴν τάς γε ἐλπίδας ἀνεῖλεν, ἀλλ’ εἰσὶ καὶ λαμπραί.
πτύω δὲ εἰς κόλπον τῇ παροιμίᾳ πειθόμενος.
ἔοικε δέ
τις δαίμων τὸ πρᾶγμα καλῶς διῳκηκέναι βουλόμενος αὐτὸν
ἀμφοτέρων τυχεῖν, ὧν τε σὺ δοῦναι κύριος ὧν τε ὁ πάντων,
ὡς ἐκείνων γε προτέρων τυχών, τῶν δ’ ἂν ἐστέρητο.
νῦν
δὲ σὺ μὲν αὐτὸν παιδεύσεις καὶ ποιήσεις ῥήτορά τε καὶ τἄλλα
μέγαν γάμῳ τε καὶ δόξη καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ δρω-
μένοις, ἥξει δὲ τὰ δεύτερα διδόμενα δέξασθαι δυναμένῳ.
ἀλλά, πρὸς τῶν θεῶν, οὓς πάλαι θαυμάζων νῦν ὡμολόγη-
σας, πάρελθε πάρελθε μὲν τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς Ὑπερέχιον εὔνοιαν,
μησαι δὲ τὴν ἐμήν· ὃ ποιήσας τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς νικήσεις.
Related Letters
I was right to do both things: to write and to stop writing.
Brachinus is a veteran of that campaign through which you accomplished so many great things in our region.
Hear what the bearer of this letter says: he accuses the negligent servants and asks you to correct what has gone wrong.
Many are those who announce that you are coming, but we do not yet see the deed.
This Elpidius is the son of the famous Xiphidius, and no less skilled than his father in his craft.