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and if it is necessary for us to know anything more, at least be pleased to make it known to us now, and inform us about your health, which is of very great concern to us, and for which we are always anxious, we always desire to hear. 38. To Hymnetius, chief physician. Although we have not written continuously to your honor, yet we continuously hold you in our memory, having received in a few days much proof of your most intense, earnest, and genuine friendship. For this reason we also send my lord, the most honorable Bishop Seleucus, to your hands as to a harbor. For he is afflicted by a most severe cough, which the season of the year aggravates more intensely, and makes more severe. Therefore, my most honorable lord, having learned the nature of the illness, try to snatch him from the surging wave, building a wall against the harm of the sickness with the power of your knowledge, by which you have many times quickly delivered many from shipwreck who were in danger of being submerged by such waves. 39. To Chalcidia. I know the love which you have had for us from the first and from the beginning, and that you keep it flourishing, and that you also make additions to it, and not only have you not allowed it to become dimmer from our separation and so much time, but you rather kindle it more. I know that you also receive our letters with much gladness, and that whether writing or silent you are similarly disposed toward us, having had much proof of the matter over a long time. Wherefore we exhort your honor to be so disposed toward us; for we have many pledges of your genuine love, many reminders. Wherefore also we carry you about continually in our soul, having engraved you in our mind, and we have an unforgotten memory of you, even if we do not write continually, being hindered by the scarcity of letter-carriers. Knowing these things, therefore, my most modest and devout lady, you also write continually to us 52.632 about your health. For even if we do not receive letters, we continually ask this of those coming from there; but we wish also to receive letters continually from your modesty, bringing us the good news about your good health. 40. To Asyncritia. I know that you are now in much affliction. But just as I know this, so also do I understand that, a great reward awaits you from these afflictions, and a great recompense and requital is laid up. For though it is despondency, yet it benefits the soul, and provides many prizes. Therefore, knowing and considering these things, reap from this the greatest consolation, not looking only at the painful aspect of the afflictions, but also at the gain gathered from them; and write continually to us about your health. Since even now we were grieved in no ordinary way, hearing that you were ill. Wherefore we also greatly seek to learn with much speed, if the matters of your illness have become easier for you, so that we may be relieved of the anxiety for it. 41. To Valentinus. I am sending this third letter, having myself received none from your magnificence. But that you received our letters with much gladness, and made the one who delivered them enjoy the honor befitting you, and that you contributed all that was in your power, in the things in which he needed your power, we have learned, and none of these things has escaped us; but we have received no letter. And if it were someone else of those not very noble who had been silent for so long, we would have thought the press of affairs to be a pretext for his defense. But since we know the loftiness of your mind, the warmth of your love, its genuineness, its sincerity, its sufficiency, its constancy, we would not accept this defense, nor again that your wonderfulness is not staying there; for we have learned this also. But by one thing alone shall we reap consolation for the long silence, if you would be willing in the future to recover what was neglected in the time past, and to send us a snow-storm of letters, from your honey-flowing tongue, declaring matters concerning your health and safety. For though we sit in a desert, and in a harsh siege, and

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καὶ εἴ τι πλέον ἡμᾶς γνῶναι ἀναγκαῖον, νῦν γοῦν γνωρίσαι ἡμῖν παρακλήθητι, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας σήμαινε τῆς σῆς, τῆς σφόδρα ἡμῖν περισπουδάστου, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἧς ἀεὶ μεριμνῶντες, ἀεὶ μανθάνειν ἐπιθυμοῦμεν. ΛΗʹ. Ὑμνητίῳ ἀρχιητρῷ. Εἰ καὶ μὴ συνεχῶς ἐπεστάλκαμεν τῇ τιμιότητί σου, ἀλλὰ συνεχῶς σε ἐπὶ μνήμης ἔχομεν, πεῖράν σου τῆς σφοδροτάτης, τῆς σπουδαίας, τῆς γνησίας φιλίας πολλὴν ἐν ἡμέραις ὀλίγαις λαβόντες. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν τιμιώτατον ἐπίσκοπον Σέλευκον ὡς εἰς λιμένα τὰς σὰς παραπέμπομεν χεῖρας. Καὶ γὰρ ὑπὸ βηχὸς πολεμεῖται χαλεπωτάτης, ἣν ἡ τοῦ ἔτους ὥρα σφοδρότερον ἐπιτρίβει, καὶ χαλεπωτέραν ποιεῖ. Καταμαθὼν τοίνυν, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε, τοῦ νοσήματος τὴν φύσιν, ἐξαρπάσαι αὐτὸν τοῦ κλυδωνίου πειράθητι, τῇ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας βλάβῃ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπιστήμης τῆς σῆς ἐπιτειχίσας δύναμιν, δι' ἧς πολλοὺς πολλάκις κινδυνεύσαντας ὑπὸ τοιούτων κυμάτων ὑποβρυχίους γενέσθαι τοῦ ναυαγίου ταχέως ἀπήλλαξας. ΛΘʹ. Χαλκιδίᾳ. Οἶδα τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἔσχες περὶ ἡμᾶς ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς, καὶ ὅτι ἀκμάζουσαν αὐτὴν διατηρεῖς, καὶ ὅτι αὐτῇ καὶ προσθήκας ἐργάζῃ, καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν αὐτὴν εἴασας ἀμαυροτέραν γενέσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ χωρισμοῦ, καὶ τοῦ τοσούτου χρόνου, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτὴν ἀνάπτεις. Οἶδ' ὅτι καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς δέχῃ τῆς εὐφροσύνης τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν γράμματα, καὶ ὅτι καὶ γράφουσα καὶ σιγῶσα ὁμοίως περὶ ἡμᾶς διάκεισαι, πολλὴν τοῦ πράγματος καὶ ἐν πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ τὴν πεῖραν εἰληφώς. ∆ιὸ δὴ παρακαλοῦμεν τὴν τιμιότητά σου καὶ περὶ ἡμᾶς οὕτω διακεῖσθαι· πολλὰ γὰρ ἐνέχυρά σου τῆς γνησίας ἀγάπης ἔχομεν, πολλὰ ὑπομνήματα. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ σε διηνεκῶς περιφέρομεν, ἐγκολάψαντες ἡμῶν τῇ διανοίᾳ, καὶ τὴν μνήμην σου ἄληστον ἔχομεν, κἂν μὴ διηνεκῶς γράφωμεν, διὰ τὴν σπάνιν τῶν γραμματηφόρων ἐγκοπτόμενοι. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδυῖα, κυρία μου κοσμιωτάτη καὶ εὐλαβεστάτη, γράφε καὶ αὐτὴ συνεχῶς ἡμῖν τὰ 52.632 περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας τῆς σῆς. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ κἂν μὴ δεξώμεθα γράμματα, τοὺς ἐκεῖθεν ἐρχομένους συνεχῶς ἐρωτῶμεν τοῦτο· βουλόμεθα δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῆς κοσμιότητος τῆς σῆς συνεχῶς δέχεσθαι ἐπιστολὰς, εὐαγγελιζομένας ἡμᾶς τὰ περὶ τῆς ῥώσεως τῆς σῆς. Μʹ. Ἀσυγκριτίᾳ. Οἶδα ὅτι ἐν πολλῇ θλίψει καθέστηκας νῦν. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τοῦτο οἶδα, οὕτως κἀκεῖνο ἐπίσταμαι, ὅτι πολύς σε ἐκ τῶν θλίψεων τούτων ἀναμένει μισθὸς, καὶ μεγάλη ἀμοιβὴ καὶ ἀντίδοσις κεῖται. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀθυμία, ἀλλὰ τὴν ψυχὴν ὠφελοῦσα, καὶ πολλὰ τὰ βραβεῖα προξενοῦσα. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδυῖα καὶ λογιζομένη, μεγίστην ἐντεῦθεν καρποῦ τὴν παράκλησιν, μὴ τὸ ὀδυνηρὸν μόνον ὁρῶσα τῶν θλίψεων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐκ τούτων συναγόμενον κέρδος· καὶ γράφε συνεχῶς ἡμῖν περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας τῆς σῆς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἠλγήσαμεν, ἀκούσαντές σε ἀῤῥωστεῖν. ∆ιὸ καὶ σφόδρα ἐπιζητοῦμεν μανθάνειν μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ τάχους, εἰ ῥᾷόν σοι διετέθη τὰ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας, ὥστε τῆς ἐπὶ ταύτῃ φροντίδος ἀνεθῆναι. ΜΑʹ. Βαλεντίνῳ. Τρίτην πέμπω ταύτην ἐπιστολὴν, οὐδεμίαν αὐτὸς δεξάμενος παρὰ τῆς μεγαλοπρεπείας τῆς σῆς. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐφροσύνης ἐδέξω ἡμῶν τὰ γράμματα, καὶ τὸν ἐγχειρίσαντα ταῦτα τῆς σοι προσηκούσης ἐποίησας ἀπολαῦσαι τιμῆς, καὶ τὰ παρὰ σαυτοῦ πάντα εἰσήνεγκας, ἐν οἷς ἐδεῖτό σου τῆς δυνάμεως, ἔγνωμεν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς τούτων ἔλαθεν· ἐπιστολὴν δὲ οὐδεμίαν ἐκομισάμεθα. Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἄλλος τις ἦν τῶν οὐ σφόδρα γενναίων ὁ σιωπήσας τοσοῦτον, ἐνομίσαμεν ἂν αὐτῷ πρόφασιν εἰς ἀπολογίαν εἶναι τῶν πραγμάτων τὸν ὄχλον. Ἐπειδὴ δέ σου τὸ ὑψηλὸν τῆς σῆς διανοίας ἴσμεν, τὸ θερμὸν τῆς ἀγάπης, τὸ γνήσιον, τὸ εἰλικρινὲς, τὸ διαρκὲς, τὸ μόνιμον, οὐκ ἂν δεξαίμεθα ταύτην ἀπολογίαν, οὐδ' αὖ τὸ μὴ ἐκεῖσε διατρίβειν σου τὴν θαυμασιότητα· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἔγνωμεν. Ἀλλ' ἑνὶ μόνῳ καρπωσόμεθα τῆς μακρᾶς σιγῆς παραμυθίαν, εἰ βουληθείης εἰς τὸ ἐπιὸν τὸ παροφθὲν ἐν τῷ παρελθόντι χρόνῳ ἀνακτήσασθαι, καὶ πέμψαι νιφάδας γραμμάτων ἡμῖν, ἀπὸ τῆς μέλι ῥεούσης γλώττης τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας σοῦ τε καὶ τῆς ἀσφαλείας δηλούντων. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ καθήμεθα, καὶ πολιορκίᾳ χαλεπῇ, καὶ