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of yours in the temples and dwellings. What are you saying? Are you not delighted by the sight from the surface of the sea, nor by the baths that cleanse and provide much pleasure? Or do you consider the many kinds of fish as nothing, and the various fruits and the bouquets of the wines, in which we who indulge our belly especially delight, of which the city of Constantine partook in superabundance? But, my good sir, you said some things, but others you did not say. And that you reason such things among us, but that certain other, much better things are with you, you do not consider at all. And that you happen to be almost directly in the worldly sun and are filled with its rays and partake of its gleams to satiety, so that you are both seen and called sun-like by all, while we are by nature Cimmerians, utterly oppressed by cold and gloom, you pay no mind to this at all. And that you are situated by the greatest spring of paradise, from which the four rivers of the virtues gush forth, and you enjoy the life-flowing streams and do not suffer from thirst at all, while we are distressed, being deprived of the waters that leap from it, you take no account of this. Exchange your things for mine, for I myself already agree, and I will go to Ares, as you said, full of vigor, even if I should shrink from the unpredictable nature of battle; The teacher's seat has been prepared for you, and the chair of judgments has also been made ready for you. And teach the truth to those who come to you for philosophical instruction, direct the ordinances with justice. Therefore, let the exchange of our lives come to be by the will of him who rules us both; for neither do you happen to be fulfilling the duties of the sebastokrator by your own will, nor I those to which I have been assigned. I myself, therefore, as you see, have fulfilled the duties of friendship; it would be up to you from now on for your request to be put into effect.

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σῶν ἐν τοῖς ναοῖς καὶ οἰκήμασι. τί λέγεις; οὐ τὴν ὄψιν ἡδύνῃ ἐκ τῆς τῆς θαλάττης ἐπιφανείας, οὐ τοὺς λουτῆρας καθαίροντας καὶ πολλὴν παρεχομένους τὴν ἡδονήν; ἢ καὶ τὰ πολυειδῆ τῶν 69 ἰχθύων ἔθνη ὡς οὐδὲν ἡγῇ καὶ τὰς διαφόρους ὀπώρας καὶ τὰς ἀνθοσμίας τῶν οἴνων, οἷς καὶ μᾶλλον τρυφῶμεν οἱ τῇ γαστρὶ χαριζόμενοι, ὧν ἡ Κωνσταντίνου μετέσχεν ὑπερπλησ μίως; ἀλλ' ὦ τάν, τὰ μὲν ἔφησθα, τὰ δ' οὐκ ἔφησθα. καὶ ὅτι μὲν ἐν ἡμῖν τοιαῦτα λογίζῃ, ὅτι δὲ ἕτερ' ἄττα κρείττω πολὺ παρὰ σοὶ, οὐδ' ὁπωστιοῦν ἐνθυμῇ. καὶ ὅτι σὺ μὲν τῷ κοσμικῷ ἡλίῳ τυγχάνεις σχεδὸν καὶ ἀμέσως τῶν ἀκτίνων αὐτοῦ ἐμφορῇ καὶ τῶν ἀμαρυγμάτων εἰς κόρον μεταλαμβά νεις, ὡς καὶ ἡλιοειδῆ σε παρὰ πᾶσι καὶ εἶναι καὶ ὀνο μάζεσθαι, ἡμεῖς δὲ Κιμμέριοι πεφύκαμεν ἄντικρυς ψύχει καὶ ζόφῳ ἐκπιεζόμενοι, οὐδ' ὅλως ἐπιτίθης. καὶ ὅτι σὺ μὲν παρὰ τῇ μεγίστῃ τοῦ παραδείσου καθειστήκεις πηγῇ, ἐξ ἧς οἱ τέτταρες τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀναβλυστάνουσι ποταμοί, καὶ τῶν ναμάτων ἐπαπολαύεις τῶν ζωηρρύτων καὶ δίψης πάθος οὐδ' ὅλως ἔχεις, ἡμεῖς δὲ τῶν παρ' αὐτῆς ἁλλομένων ὑδά των ἀσχάλλομεν στερισκόμενοι, πρὸς οὐδὲν λογίζῃ. ἀντάλ λαξον τὰ σὰ τοῖς ἐμοῖς, αὐτὸς γὰρ ἤδη συντίθεμαι, καὶ ἐλεύσομαι πρὸς Ἄρην καθὼς εἰρήκεις σφριγῶν, κἂν ἀπο δειλιῶ τὸ τῆς μάχης ἀλλοπρόσαλλον· ὁ θῶκος δέ σοι ὁ διδασκαλικὸς παρεσκεύασται, ηὐτρέπισται δέ σοι καὶ ἡ καθέδρα τῶν κρίσεων. καὶ δίδασκε μὲν τοὺς πρὸς παιδείαν φιλόσοφον προσερχομένους σοι τἀληθῆ, δίκῃ διίθυνε θέμιστας. γενέσθω δ' οὖν ἡμῖν ἡ ἀντάλλαξις τῶν βίων γνώμῃ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἀμφοῖν· οὔτε γὰρ αὐτὸς οἰκείᾳ βουλήσει τυγχάνεις τὰ τοῦ σεβαστοκράτορος διεκπληρῶν οὔτ' ἔγωγε πρὸς οἷς ἀποτέταγμαι. αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν ὡς ὁρᾷς τὰ τοῦ φιλίου ἐκπέπληκα· σὸν δ' ἂν εἴη τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦδε ἐνεργεῖσθαί σου τὴν ἀξίωσιν.