John Chrysostom, Letters

that not only the presence of loving ones, but also letters bring much comfort. Knowing this, therefore, be lavish with this joy for us, more frequently making known the state of your health, about which we are most eager to learn. 31. To Marcellinus. For a long time, indeed, we both kept silence toward each other, but we have not forgotten that ancient and genuine love of yours for us, but we preserve it flourishing, and wherever we may go, we carry it with us, reaping the greatest comfort from it. For which reason, indeed, now that we have met with those arriving at your nobility's, we both render the owed greeting, and we declare that even if we should be carried away to the very ends of the inhabited world, we will go on having you engraved in our mind and conscience. But since for those so disposed, not only writing but also receiving letters from those so beloved brings great pleasure, double the joy for us, most honored master, and whenever it is possible, write to us continually, making known the state of your health. For you know how eager we are to learn these things, and how great a comfort, even while living in a foreign land, we shall reap from it. 32. To Euthalia. Even if I receive fewer letters from your modesty than I myself send to your grace, I will not stop writing continually. For I do myself a favor by doing this, writing to a soul so genuinely and warmly and continually disposed toward us. But nevertheless, since we are very 52.629 eager to learn in what state your affairs are, we also continually desire to enjoy letters, so that we may learn perpetually what we desire, that you live in much cheerfulness and security. For while enjoying these things, that you take much care of your soul and, looking down upon the things of this life, walk the road to heaven, I think I need not doubt at all. For I know the nobility and generosity of your soul, full of tranquility and free from worldly cares. Considering, therefore, how great a favor you grant us by doing this, whenever it is permitted and possible, be pleased, as we have said before, to write to us continually, so that we may also receive from this much comfort for this wilderness in which we live. For whenever the letters from you who love us are brought to us continually, declaring the state of your health, they fill us with no ordinary joy, but they produce in us such great pleasure as to feel not even a small sensation of this wilderness in which we live. 33. To Adolia. In this way also you have shown your love, genuine and warm, that even while sick you write to us so continually. But we desire for you both to be delivered from sickness and, when it is possible, to see you come here. And you yourself also know this, my most modest and most pious lady. Since therefore, as I also wrote before, we are now in greater anxiety—for also from your letter we have conjectured the excess of your sickness—for this very reason, whenever your body should improve, be pleased to declare this very thing to us with speed, if you will, so that you might cause us to be relieved of a most heavy anxiety. For that even now we are in no small despondency on account of your sickness, you yourself are not ignorant. Knowing, therefore, the anxiety in which we now are, be eager to do what we have requested. Although indeed you need no exhortation for this; but I know well that however many letter-bearers you may meet, you will not cease writing to us by each one. 34. To Carteria. This also is of your love, of your anxious soul which is so strongly disposed toward us, not only to send the polyarchion, but also to consider how it might become useful, and to add to it both the nard and the gleukinon oil, correcting its dryness from the long journey. And that you yourself also prepared this, and did not entrust it to others, and not for speed, but for its accomplishment

ὡς οὐ παρουσία τῶν φιλούντων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γράμματα πολλὴν φέρει τὴν παραμυθίαν. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδὼς ἐπιδαψιλεύου ταύτην ἡμῖν τὴν εὐφροσύνην, συνεχέστερον τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς δηλῶν, περὶ ἧς μάλιστα περισπούδαστον ἡμῖν μανθάνειν. ΛΑʹ. Μαρκελλίνῳ. Μακρὰν μὲν ἐσιγήσαμεν ἀμφότεροι σιγὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, τῆς δὲ ἀγάπης σου τῆς ἀρχαίας καὶ γνησίας ἡμῖν ἐκείνης οὐκ ἐπιλελήσμεθα, ἀλλ' ἀκμάζουσαν αὐτὴν διατηροῦμεν, καὶ ὅπουπερ ἂν ἀπίωμεν, αὐτὴν περιφέρομεν, μεγίστην ἐντεῦθεν καρπούμενοι τὴν παράκλησιν. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ νῦν ἐπιτυχόντες τῶν πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐγένειαν ἀφικνουμένων, τήν τε ὀφειλομένην ἀποδιδόαμεν πρόσρησιν, καὶ δηλοῦμεν, ὅτι κἂν πρὸς αὐτὰς ἀπενεχθῶμεν τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰς ἐσχατιὰς, ἔχοντές σε ἄπιμεν ἐν διανοίᾳ ἐγκεκολαμμένον ἡμῶν τῷ συνειδότι. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῖς οὕτω διακειμένοις οὐ τὸ γράφειν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ δέχεσθαι γράμματα παρὰ τῶν οὕτω φιλουμένων, πολλὴν φέρει τὴν ἡδονὴν, διπλασίασον ἡμῖν τὴν εὐφροσύνην, δέσποτα τιμιώτατε, καὶ ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, γράφε συνεχῶς ἡμῖν, τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας τῆς σῆς δηλῶν. Οἶσθα γὰρ ὅπως ἡμῖν περισπούδαστον ταῦτα μανθάνειν, καὶ ὅσην καὶ ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ διατρίβοντες, ἐντεῦθεν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν. ΛΒʹ. Εὐθαλίᾳ. Κἂν ἐλάττους δέχωμαι ἐπιστολὰς παρὰ τῆς κοσμιότητος τῆς σῆς, ὧν αὐτὸς πέμπω πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἐμμέλειαν, οὐκ ἀποστήσομαι συνεχῶς γράφων. Ἐμαυτῷ γὰρ χαρίζομαι τοῦτο ποιῶν, πρὸς ψυχὴν οὕτω γνησίως περὶ ἡμᾶς διακειμένην καὶ θερμῶς καὶ συνεχῶς ἐπιστέλλων. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα ἡμῖν περι52.629 σπούδαστον μανθάνειν ἐν τίσιν ὁρμᾷ τὰ σὰ, συνεχῶς καὶ γραμμάτων ἐπιθυμοῦμεν ἀπολαύειν, ἵνα μανθάνωμεν διηνεκῶς ἅπερ ἐπιθυμοῦμεν, ὅτι ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ καὶ ἀσφαλείᾳ διάγεις πολλῇ. Τούτων γὰρ ἀπολαύουσα, ὅτι πολλὴν ποιῇ τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς σῆς ἐπιμέλειαν, καὶ τῶν βιωτικῶν ὑπερορῶσα, τὴν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ὁδὸν βαδίζεις, οὐδὲν οἶμαι δεῖν ἀμφιβάλλειν. Οἶδα γάρ σου τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ εὐγενὲς, καὶ ἐλευθέριον, καὶ ἀπραγμοσύνης γέμον, καὶ τῶν βιωτικῶν ἀπηλλαγμένον φροντίδων. Ἐννοοῦσα τοίνυν ἡλίκα ἡμῖν χαρίζῃ τοῦτο ποιοῦσα, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ καὶ δυνατὸν ᾖ, συνεχῶς ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλειν, καθάπερ προειρήκαμεν, παρακλήθητι, ὥστε πολλὴν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐντεῦθεν τῆς ἐρημίας ταύτης, ἐν ᾗ διατρίβομεν, λαβεῖν παραμυθίαν. Τὰ γὰρ ὑμῶν τῶν ἀγαπώντων ἡμᾶς γράμματα ὅταν συνεχῶς φέρηται πρὸς ἡμᾶς, τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας ὑμῶν δηλοῦντα, οὐ τῆς τυχούσης ἡμᾶς ἐμπίπλησιν εὐφροσύνης, ἀλλὰ τοσαύτην ἡμῖν ἐμποιεῖ τὴν ἡδονὴν, ὡς μηδὲ μικρὰν αἴσθησιν τῆς ἐρημίας ταύτης, ἐν ᾗ διατρίβομεν, λαμβάνειν. ΛΓʹ. Ἀδολίᾳ. Καὶ ταύτῃ σου τὴν ἀγάπην ἔδειξας, τὴν γνησίαν καὶ θερμὴν, ὅτι καὶ ἐν ἀῤῥωστίᾳ οὖσα, οὕτω συνεχῶς ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλεις. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐπιθυμοῦμεν τῆς τε ἀῤῥωστίας σε ἀπαλλαγῆναι, καὶ ἐνταῦθα παραγενομένην, ὅταν ἐξῇ, θεάσασθαι. Καὶ τοῦτο οἶσθα καὶ αὐτὴ, κυρία μου κοσμιωτάτη καὶ εὐλαβεστάτη. Ἐπεὶ οὖν, ὅπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπέσταλκα, νῦν ἐν φροντίδι μείζονι καθεστήκαμεν καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων ἐστοχασάμεθά σου τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας τὴν ὑπερβολὴν, διά τοι τοῦτο, ἡνίκα ἂν πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον ἐπιδῷ σοι τὸ σῶμα, διὰ τάχους ὡς βούλει δηλῶσαι ἡμῖν παρακλήθητι τοῦτο αὐτὸ, ἵνα βαρυτάτης ἡμᾶς ἀνεθῆναι ποιήσῃς φροντίδος. Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἐν μικρᾷ καθεστήκαμεν ἀθυμίᾳ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἕνεκεν τῆς σῆς, οὐδὲ αὐτὴ ἀγνοεῖς. Εἰδυῖα τοίνυν τὴν φροντίδα ἐν ᾗ νῦν ἐσμεν, ὅπερ παρεκαλέσαμεν, ποιῆσαι σπούδασον. Εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα οὐδέν σοι εἰς τοῦτο δεῖ παρακλήσεως· ἀλλ' εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι ὅσων ἂν ἐπιτύχῃς γραμματηφόρων, οὐ παύσῃ δι' ἑκάστου ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλουσα. Λ∆ʹ. Καρτερίᾳ. Καὶ τοῦτο τῆς ἀγάπης τῆς σῆς, τῆς μεμεριμνημένης ψυχῆς τῆς σφοδρῶς περὶ ἡμᾶς διακειμένης, τὸ μὴ μόνον ἀποστεῖλαι τὸ πολυάρχιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σκοπῆσαι ὅπως ἂν γένοιτο χρήσιμον, προσθεῖναί τε αὐτῷ τό τε νάρδινον, καὶ τὸ γλεύκινον ἔλαιον, διορθοῦντα αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς μακρᾶς ἀποδημίας ξηρότητα. Καὶ τὸ αὐτὴν καὶ κατασκευάσαι τοῦτο, καὶ μὴ ἑτέροις ἐπιτρέψαι, καὶ μὴ τῆς ταχύτητος γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ τοῦ γενέσθαι