Letter 818: The poem is a praise of a skilled rhetorician, but when I search within myself for those many great qualities, I...
Γαΐῳ. (363)
Τὸ ποίημά ἐστιν ἔπαινος δεξιοῦ ῥήτορος, ἐγὼ δὲ τῶν
πολλῶν ἐκείνων καὶ μεγάλων ἐν ἐμαυτῷ ζητῶν εὗρον οὐδέν.
ἀλλ’ ὤνημαι μὲν μαθών, ἃ ποιῶν ἄν τις ἀγαθὸς εἴη συγγρα-
φεύς, εἰμὶ δὲ τῶν τὰ φαῦλα γεννώντων.
εἰ δὲ σοὶ μὴ δο-
κῶ, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· τὸ γὰρ φιλεῖν ἐξαπατᾶν πέφυκε. διὸ
καὶ σφόδρα ἠγάσθην τῶν ἀνδρῶν, οἷς ἔδειξα τὸ ἐγκώμιον·
ἀπῆλθον γὰρ πολὺ φήσαντες ἑωρακέναι τοῦ ποιητοῦ τὸ φίλ-
τρον εἰς τὸν ῥήτορα.
καὶ ἔγωγε οὐκ ἔχω ὅ τι ποιῶ. εἰ
μὲν γὰρ κρύψαιμι οὕτω καλὰ ἔπη, τὸν ποιήσαντα ἀδικήσω·
δεικνὺς δὲ γέλωτα ὀφλήσω οἰόμενος αὐτὸς ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν εἶ
νᾶι.
ἀλλ’ ὅπως μὲν μήτε σὲ μήτε ἐμαυτὸν ἀδικήσω, σκέ-
ψομαι· τὸν στέφανον δὲ Εὐδαίμονι προτέρῳ περιθεὶς πρᾶγμα
ἐποίησας, ὅ κἂν αὐτὸς ἐγώ, ποιητὴς εἴπερ ἦν. ὁ γὰρ ἀνὴρ
ἔμελλεν αὐτῷ τῷ εἴδει τὴν ἀμοιβὴν ἀποδώσειν, ποίημα ἀντὶ
ποιήματος. καὶ ὅλως τοὺς μᾶλλον ὁμοίους πρὸ τῶν ἧττον
αὑτοῖς ἐοικότων εἰώθασιν ἄνθρωποι ποιεῖσθαι.
τοῦ οὖν
τετιμῆσθαι μᾶλλον οἶδα χάριν ἢ λογίζομαι πότερος πρότερος.
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