Letter 819: This Elpidius is the son of the famous Xiphidius, and no less skilled than his father in his craft.
Μοδέστῳ. (363)
Ἐλπίδιος οὑτοσὶ παῖς μέν ἐστι Ξιφιδίου τοῦ πάνυ, τοῦ
πατρὸς δὲ οὐ λειπόμενος κατὰ τὴν τέχνην πάντων ἀνθρώπων
πρᾳότατος καὶ τὸ αἰδεῖσθαι μελετήσας ἐκ νὲου μέχρι γήρως
αὐτὸ τετήρηκε πολλοὺς ἐντεῦθεν κτησάμενος φίλους, ὦί εἷς
ἐγώ.
τοῦτον ὅτι μὶν ἔμελλες ἡδέως ὄφεσθαι βοηθὸν ἥκοντα
τῇ πόλει οἰκεῖον ἦν, ἐπεὶ καὶ δημοσίᾳ τιμήσαιτ’ ἂν εἰκόνι
τὸν ἄνδρα, τοῦ Ποσειδῶ διδόντος ποιήσειεν ὑμᾶς καταρ-
ρύτους.
ἀλλ’ ἤλπισέ τι πλέον ἕξειν ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ τὴν οὖσάν
μοι πρὸς σαυτὸν ἀγνοεῖσθαι φιλίαι. καὶ ἴσως εἰκότως. κεκή-
ρυκται γάρ, ὅστις σὺ πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ ὡς ὅστις ἐπιτήδειος ἐμοί,
παρὰ σοὶ τίμιος.
ἄγε οὖν, βεβαίου τὰς ἐλπίδας καὶ περὶ
πολλοῦ τὸν ἄνδρα ποιοῦ τὰ μὲν ὑπὲρ ὧι ἥκει τιμῶν, τὰ δὲ
ὡς ἔταφον ἡμέτερον.
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