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to have received the Muses, and I was inspired by pleasure and did not know what to do with myself, just like the Delphians when, after being silent before, they suddenly become full of the god upon Apollo's arrival from the Hyperboreans. Such a one was I, admiring everything, the beauty of the names, their harmony with one another, the beauty appearing through all of them, and, what is greatest, your character, from which your letter came to us. And may many good things be yours for having given us such a festival. But, "1one swallow a spring,"2 it says, "1does not make."2 But what a swallow the preceding one was, sufficient for the need of spring? And if you were to add a second and a third, and then many, there would be among us neither that Croesus nor the Pactolus flowing with gold. And I saw your children with pleasure and, as if through an image, I was drawn up to you. Wherefore I prayed to see even more, and, if I must say great things, better than their father. But at any rate it is easy for one who is praying to say whatever he wishes, and to imitate Hector. And as for our companion Dorotheus, consider me myself to be present bringing him to you, and to say nothing else, but to fulfill for him the hopes which he himself provided by recounting your affairs. And if he hopes to gain something more through me, it would be your part that he not be disappointed in his expectation. Both his character and his zeal will recommend the young man to you, which if it were possible to present clearly at the same time as the sight of him, perhaps there would be no need of our letter. But now, having honored him first on my account, later, I think, you will admire him also on his own account. And I think that you will look upon our companion Anastasius with favorable eyes, who also is inscribed in our family. For what more needs to be said to a man who has long been a friend and has now chosen to be no less well-disposed? 17 To Philip, brother Again a letter from us, and again you are among the silent. And I fear that you may even condemn some babbling of ours. For being completely silent yourself, you think that those who speak in any way are babblers. But if you, being away, neglect your friends, it remains for all who are away to be silent. Therefore, become that man again and speak to us; for good men, when they do not do what is fitting, are set forth as an example to those who wish to do wrong. And I would wish you to bear the mark of a man who would not neglect any of his duties, whatever might happen. And regarding the need that was written to you, show yourselves as zealous as if you were accomplishing it for yourselves. For I hesitate to say that I wish the zeal from you to be even greater. For in place of very many favors, we are paying this one to him who is in need. 18 To Zacharias, brother As it seems, my good sir, you will never cease from your jests at our expense. Indeed, may you not cease from them, O all ye gods. How I, hearing them spoken, laugh at your letters, and come to you in my thought, and seem to say something to you and to hear you speaking. So if you care for the charm in your letters—and you certainly do care—"1strike thus"2 and you will seem to grant greater favors than if you allowed me to become a Croesus. So call me a sophist again and say I love applause, and add a raised eyebrow and pomposity and whatever you please. And often, having said sophist, you are done, as if to say this is the same as to call me a braggart. But I would not deny my own art; but if it is a characteristic of this art to lift one up to boastfulness, then you too surely have too much a share in the art, so that I fear that insofar as you partake of it... but out of respect for you I shall be silent. But perhaps you are surprised that though I am a sophist and now behold the spring, when I ought to parade my eloquence, I have passed over it in silence; and perhaps you look in my letter for flowers and swallows and the gentle change of the sea, and the beautiful Adonis and that Aphrodite who loves so strangely, and because you do not hear of the rose, you wonder again at the grace upon it. But I would say nothing of the sort, and least of all to you, lest you laugh again and call me tasteless and a sophist. 19 To Epiphanius You were, it seems, a man skilled at moving whomever you wish to speech and to silence, and you seem to me to do something very similar, as if someone having a lyre, having learned to use it, now would weave a melody, and now would refrain from striking the strings.

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ἀπειληφέναι τὰς Μούσας, ἔνθους τε ἦν ὑφ' ἡδονῆς καὶ οὐκ εἶχον ὅ τι καὶ γένωμαι, ὥσπερ οἱ ∆ελφοὶ ἐπειδὰν [ὡς] ἐξ Ὑπερβορέων ἐλθόντος Ἀπόλλωνος τὸ πρὶν σιγῶντες πλήρεις ἐξαίφνης γένωνται τοῦ θεοῦ. τοιοῦτος ἦν τις ἐγώ, πάντα θαυμάζων, τῶν ὀνομάτων τὴν ὥραν, τὴν πρὸς ἄλληλα τούτων ἁρμονίαν, τὸ διὰ πάν των κάλλος ἐπιφαινόμενον, καὶ τὸ δὴ μέγιστον, τοὺς ὑμετέρους τρόπους, ἐξ ὧν ἡμῖν προῆλθε τὰ γράμματα. καί σοι πολλὰ κἀγαθὰ γένοιτο τοιαύτην ἡμῖν ἀποδεδωκότι τὴν ἑορτήν. ἀλλὰ γὰρ "1μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ"2 φησὶν "1οὐ ποιεῖ"2. οἷον δὲ καὶ ἡ προλαβοῦσα χελιδὼν εἰς ἔαρος ἤρκεσε χρείαν; εἰ δὲ καὶ δευτέραν προσθείης καὶ τρίτην, εἶτα πολλάς, οὐδὲν ἂν εἴη παρ' ἡμῖν οὔτε Κροῖσος ἐκεῖνος οὔτε χρυσῷ ῥέων ὁ Πακτωλός. τοὺς δὲ ὑμετέρους παῖ δας εἶδον ἡδέως καὶ ὥσπερ δι' εἰκόνος ἀνηγόμην πρὸς σέ. ὅθεν ηὐξάμην καὶ πλείους ἰδεῖν, καὶ εἰ δεῖ μεγάλα λέγειν, τοῦ πατρὸς ἀμείνους. ἀλλ' οὖν εὐχομένῳ ῥᾴδιον λέγειν ὅσα γε βούλεται, καὶ μιμεῖσθαι τὸν Ἕκτορα. τὸν δὲ ἑταῖρον ∆ωρόθεον αὐτόν με δόκει παρόντα προσάγειν ὑμῖν, καὶ λέγειν ἄλλο μὲν οὐδέν, πληρῶσαι δὲ τούτῳ ἃς ἐλπίδας αὐτὸς παρέσχε τὰ ὑμέτερα διηγούμενος. εἰ δὲ καὶ δι' ἐμέ τι πλέον ἕξειν ἐλπίζει, ὑμέτερον ἂν εἴη μὴ ψευσθῆναι τοῦτον τῆς γνώμης. συστήσει δὲ τὸν νέον ὑμῖν καὶ τρόπος ὁμοῦ καὶ σπουδή, ἅπερ εἰ ἦν αὐτὸν ἅμα τῇ θέᾳ παραστῆσαι σαφῆ, οὐδὲν ἂν ἴσως ἔδει τῶν ἡμετέρων γραμμάτων. νῦν δὲ δι' ἐμὲ τὰ πρῶτα τιμήσας, ὕστερον οἶμαι θαυμάσεις καὶ δι' αὐτόν. οἶμαι δὲ καὶ τὸν ἑταῖρον Ἀναστά σιον εὐμενέσιν ὑμᾶς ἰδεῖν ὀφθαλμοῖς, ὃς καὶ τὸ ἡμέτερον ἐπιγράφεται γένος. τί γὰρ δεῖ πλέον εἰπεῖν πρὸς ἄνδρα πάλαι τε φίλον καὶ νῦν οὐδὲν ἧττον εὐνοεῖν ᾑρημένον; 17 Φιλίππωι ἀδελφῶι Πάλιν γράμματα παρ' ἡμῶν καὶ πάλιν τῶν σιωπώντων ὑμεῖς. καὶ δέ δοικα μὴ καὶ φλυαρίαν ἡμῶν τινα καταγνῷς. παντελῶς γὰρ σιγῶν καὶ τοὺς ὁπωσοῦν λαλοῦντας φλυάρους εἶναι δοκεῖς. εἰ δὲ σὺ τοὺς φίλους ἀπὼν παρορᾷς, πᾶσι τοῖς ἀποῦσι λείπεται τὸ σιγᾶν. οὐκοῦν γενοῦ πάλιν ἐκεῖνος καὶ φθέγγου πρὸς ἡμᾶς· οἱ γὰρ ἀγαθοὶ μὴ τὸ προσῆκον ποιοῦντες παρά δειγμα πρόκεινται τοῖς πλημμελεῖν βουλομένοις. σὲ δ' ἂν βουλοίμην καὶ γνώρισμα φέρειν ἀνδρὸς μηδ' ἂν εἴ τι γένοιτο τῶν προσηκόντων ὑπερορῶν τος. πρὸς δὲ τὴν χρείαν τὴν ὑμῖν γραφεῖσαν οὕτω σπουδαίους ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδείξατε, ὡς ὑμῖν ταύτην ἀνύοντες. ὀκνῶ γὰρ εἰπεῖν ὡς καὶ πλείονα τὴν προθυμίαν γενέσθαι βούλομαι παρ' ὑμῶν. ἀντὶ γὰρ πλείστων χαρίτων μίαν ταύτην ἐκτίνομεν τῷ δεομένῳ τῆς χρείας. 18 Ζαχαρίαι ἀδελφῶι Ὡς ἔοικεν, ὦ λῷστε, τῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς σκωμμάτων οὔποτε παύσῃ. μηδέ γε παύσαιο τούτων, ὦ πάντες θεοί. ὡς ἐγὼ λεγομένων ἀκούων προσγελῶ τε τοῖς γράμμασι, καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀφικνοῦμαι τῇ διανοίᾳ, καὶ λέγειν τι δοκῶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ λεγόντων ἀκούειν. ὥστ' εἴ σοι μέλει τῆς ἐν τοῖς γράμμασι χάριτος, μέλει δὲ πάντως"1βάλλ' οὕτω"2 καὶ μείζονα χαρίζεσθαι δόξεις ἢ εἴ μοι παρεῖχες Κροίσῳ γενέσθαι. κάλει δὲ πάλιν σοφιστὴν καὶ λέγε κρότων ἐρᾶν, ὀφρῦν τε προστίθει καὶ τῦφον καὶ πᾶν ὅ τί σοι φίλον. πολλάκις δὲ καὶ σοφι στὴν εἰπὼν ἀπηλλάγης, ὡς ταὐτὸν ὂν τοῦτο εἰπεῖν καὶ ἀλαζόνα καλέσαι. ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν μὲν ἐμὴν τέχνην οὐκ ἂν ἀρνησαίμην· εἰ δὲ ταύτης ἴδιον τὸ πρὸς ἀλαζονείαν ἐπαίρειν, καί σοί που μέτεστιν ἄγαν τῆς τέχνης, ὥστε δέδοικα μὴ ὅσον ταύτης μετέχεις ... ἀλλὰ γὰρ αἰδοῖ τῇ πρὸς σὲ σιωπήσομαι. ἴσως δὲ θαυμάζεις εἰ σοφιστὴς ὢν καὶ τὸ ἔαρ ἤδη θεώμενος, δέον ἐμπομπεῦσαι τῷ λόγῳ, εἶτα παρῆλθον σιγῇ· καί που ζητεῖς ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν ἄνθη καὶ χελιδόνας καὶ θαλάττης μεταβολὴν ἥμερον, τόν τε Ἄδωνιν τὸν καλὸν καὶ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην ἐκείνην τὴν παραδόξως ἐρῶσαν, καὶ ὅτι μὴ τὸ ῥόδον ἀκούεις καὶ τὴν ἐπ' αὐτῷ χάριν πάλιν θαυμάζεις. ἐγὼ δὲ τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν ἂν εἴποιμι καὶ μάλιστά γε πρὸς σέ, μήποτε πάλιν γελάσας ἀπειρόκαλόν με καὶ σοφιστὴν ὀνομάσῃς. 19 Ἐπιφανίωι ∆εινὸς ἄρα τις ἦσθα κινεῖν ὃν ἂν ἐθέλῃς πρὸς λόγον καὶ σιωπήν, καί μοι δοκεῖς παραπλήσιόν τι ποιεῖν, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις λύραν ἔχων, κεχρῆσθαι ταύτῃ μαθών, νῦν μὲν ὑφαίνοι μέλος, νῦν δὲ τῶν κρουμάτων ἀπόσχοιτο.