Letter 85: I was glad to receive your sons.

To Philagrius. (359) I was delighted to receive your sons. How could I not be, when I consider them my own? As for your earlier decision, it is better to keep silent than to seek excuses and have nothing strong to say. For even if you are the most formidable of sophists, still, three times four makes twelve, even if Philagrius tries to argue otherwise. What I suffered on account of your decision, however, I will tell you and not hide from a friend. I have never pursued young men who were fleeing from me, for I have never seen springs go running after those who need a drink. Rather, I have always believed that goodwill is owed to those who come of their own accord, while those who look down on me deserve to be looked down on in turn. And indeed, it is precisely for this reason that I have gained a reputation for dignity — because I never stooped to anything demeaning. Yet when your boys were turning to another teacher, I confess I was stung, and I wished that the vote had gone differently — though in truth there were more people who seized upon your judgment than those who took it as proof of my incompetence. Now, then, since you have had a talk with yourself and concluded that it is not, after all, better to stick with your original decision, do not imagine that any appeal to us is needed — only, perhaps, an appeal to yourself on their behalf. For apart from everything else, the very faces of the young men, calling their father to mind, stir me to action. And besides, Eutychius is a friend of yours and a kinsman of mine, and I would do wrong not to oblige him. By bringing your sons and his own brother to me, he showed himself no less devoted to them than to him. For this reason, indeed, the rule about the summer holiday has been set aside for these boys alone, so that Eutychius may have his joy and you may have what you need.

Φιλαγρίῳ. (359) Ἄσμενος ἐδεξάμην σου τοὺς υἱεῖς. τί δὲ οὐκ ἔμελλον οὓς καὶ ἐμαυτοῦ νομίζω; περὶ δὲ τῆς προτέρας βουλῆς ἄμει- νον σιγᾶν ἢ ζητοῦντα ἀπολογήσασθαι μηδὲν ἔχειν ἰσχυρὸν εἰπεῖν. καὶ γὰρ εἰ δεινότατος σύ γε σοφιστῶν, ἀλλὰ τά γε τρὶς τέτταρα δώδεκα, κἂν Φιλάγριος ἄλλο τι περὶ αὐτῶν ἐπι- χειρῇ λέγειν. ὃ μέντοι παθὼν οἶδα διὰ τὸ σὸν βούλευμα, φράσω καὶ οὐκ ἀποκρύψομαι πρὸς φίλον. ἐγὼ νέους φεύγον- τας οὐδεπώποτε ἐδίωξα, οὐδὲ γὰρ τὰς κρήνας ἑώρων χωρού- σὰς παρὰ τοὺς χρῄζοντας πιεῖν, ἀλλ’ ᾤμην δεῖν τοῖς μὲν προσιοῦσιν εὔνοιαν ὀφείλεσθαι, τοῖς δ’ ὑπερορῶσι τοῦτ’ αὐτὸ ὑπερορᾶσθαι. καὶ δὴ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δόξα μοι γέγονεν, ὡς εἵην σεμνότερος, ὅτι μηδὲν ὑπέμενον ταπεινόν. τῶν μέντοι παίδων ὡς ἕτερον τραπομένων τῶν σῶν δηχθῆναί τε ὁμολογῶ καὶ βουληθῆναι ταύτην κινηθῆναι τὴν ψῆφον, καίτοι πλείους ἦσαν οἱ τῆς σῆς ἐπιλαμβανόμενοι γνώμης ἢ οἱ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀμα- θίας τοῦτο ποιούμενοι σημεῖον. νῦν οὖν ἐπειδὴ σαυτῷ διελέχθης, ὡς ἄρα οὐκ ἄμεινον ἐμμένειν τοῖς δεδογμένοις, μηδὲν οἴου δεῖσθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς παρακλήσεως, εἰ μὴ πρὸς σαυτὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν. ἄνευ γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων αὐταὶ τῶν νέων αἱ μορφαὶ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ἀναμιμνήσκουσαι ποιοῦσιν ἐνεργόν. καὶ μὴν καὶ Εὐτύχιος σοὶ μὲν φίλος, κηδεστὴς δὲ ἡμέτε- ρος, ᾧ μὴ χαριζόμενος ἀδικοίην ἄν. οὗτος ἄγων παρ’ ἐμὲ παῖδάς τε τοὺς σοὺς καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν τὸν αὑτοῦ οὐ ἔδειξεν ἐκεῖνον φιλῶν ἢ τούτους. διὸ δὴ καὶ τοῦ θέρους ὁ νόμος ἐπὶ τούτων λέλυται μόνων, ὅπως ἐκεῖνός τε εὐφραί- νοιτο καί σοί τι τῶν δεόντων γίγνοιτο.