Nilus of Ancyra→Herimus|c. 415 AD|nilus ancyra|From Ancyra|AI-assisted
To Herimus the Count [comes, a high imperial official].
I learn that you covet the so-called seat of the prefects [the praetorian prefecture], which is reputed to be unattainable and prodigious, though in truth it is not so. Know, then, most illustrious sir, that the glory offered to you by men is a small thing, and cheap, and short-lived, and in no way different from the flowers of spring; it is a laughable and mocking glory, while the shame that comes afterward turns out to be great and abundant. If, therefore, you do not wish to be put to shame, do not wish to be glorified with that washed-out glory which is easily blotted out and diminished.
To Herimus the Count [comes, a high imperial official].
I learn that you covet the so-called seat of the prefects [the praetorian prefecture], which is reputed to be unattainable and prodigious, though in truth it is not so. Know, then, most illustrious sir, that the glory offered to you by men is a small thing, and cheap, and short-lived, and in no way different from the flowers of spring; it is a laughable and mocking glory, while the shame that comes afterward turns out to be great and abundant. If, therefore, you do not wish to be put to shame, do not wish to be glorified with that washed-out glory which is easily blotted out and diminished.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.