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of medicine, who is so bold and uneducated as to legislate for you concerning these things? 33.6 Therefore let the many go their way and be jackdaws testing the flight of eagles; but use yourself as a counselor and God concerning both your suffering and all things related to your suffering, and you will not miss what is right. 34.T TO THE SAME 34.1 I remember your company, which we shared with one another formerly at my place in Mataza (for I call and consider yours mine), and the philosophy which you philosophized at that time, at the memory of which I still shudder even now. 34.2 I was explaining to you the 72nd psalm (for you commanded it and there was no gainsaying), in which David is dizzy and distressed at the wicked who prosper; then, sending his thoughts to the courts of justice there and the retribution laid up for their lives, he thus ceases from his turmoil and what grieved him is healed. 34.3 And, as far as was possible, I drew the explanation towards your suffering, philosophizing on these things from our own sources, from those outside, as one conversing with a man so educated and so great, and at the same time as the Spirit thus moved me and as my pain spurred me on, for nothing is more inventive than suffering. 34.4 The argument ran on somehow. But you, rising up in the middle of the speech, as if from the starting-gate, and raising your hands to heaven, and as if looking towards the east (for you did not have the ability to see): “I thank you, Father,” you cried, “O creator and chastiser of your people, that even against our will you do us good and with the outer you purify the inner man and through opposites you lead us to the blessed end, by means which you yourself know.” 34.5 And why should I say everything, with which you philosophized before us and with us, as if rejoicing in your illness? And you had your teacher as your student. 34.6 But why have I recalled these things? To cry out and proclaim this through you to all, that the wicked are more to be lamented by us for their inner sickness than we by them for our outer one, if we are so disposed, and that a philosophical sickness is better than unbridled prosperity. 35.T TO THE SAME 35.1 Formerly, I myself wrote letters of consolation to you for your suffering; for you had fallen into it before me. But now you seem to me able yourself to console us, who are suffering almost the same things. 35.2 For it was necessary that we, being friends, not be separated even in these things; or rather, you have already consoled us, by your endurance introducing the idea of endurance. 36.T TO THE SAME 36.1 I am pained by my illness and I rejoice; not that I am pained, but that I am a teacher of endurance to others. 36.2 For since I do not have the ability not to suffer, I at least gain this from suffering: to bear it and to give thanks just as in cheerful times, so too in painful ones, since I am persuaded that nothing is irrational from the Logos of our affairs, even if it appears so to us. 37.T TO SOPHRONIUS 37.1 To honor one's mother is a holy thing. One person has one mother, another another; but the common mother of all is our fatherland. You have honored her with all the splendor of your life; and you will honor her now too, showing respect for us on behalf of whom we are envoys. 37.2 And what is the embassy? You surely know the most eloquent man of his time, Eudoxius the rhetorician. His son, to put it briefly, another Eudoxius both in life and in speech, now comes to you through us. 37.3 Therefore, in order that you may make yourself more renowned, be gracious to the man in whatever matters he may need your protection. 37.4 For it is shameful that you, being a common protector of our fatherland and having done good to many, and I will add, being about to do so, should not honor before all others the man who is best in words, whom, if nothing else, it is right to respect for this reason, that they are praisers of your good deeds. 38.T TO THEMISTIUS 38.1 The spear makes the Spartans known, the shoulder the Pelopids, words the great Themistius. For even if in all things you surpass all men, this I know is your most distinctive feature. 38.2 This also joined us to one another from the beginning—if indeed our own case is of any account in matters of words—and has now persuaded us to be bold. 38.3 But if you should learn of the man on whose behalf we are envoys, perhaps you will also approve of our boldness; I bring this man to you, the son of the great Eudoxius, our most worthy son Eudoxius, in life and in speech such as you yourself will find him 20bringing the stone to the rope20, as the proverb says (and who of you

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ἰατρικῆς, τίς οὕτω τολμηρὸς καὶ ἀπαίδευτος ὥστε σοι περὶ τούτων νομοθετεῖν; 33.6 Τοὺς μὲν οὖν πολλοὺς ἔα χαίρειν καὶ εἶναι κολοιοὺς πτῆσιν ἀετῶν δοκιμάζοντας· αὐτὸς δὲ σεαυτῷ χρῶ συμβούλῳ καὶ τῷ Θεῷ περί τε τοῦ πάθους καὶ τῶν ὅσα περὶ τὸ πάθος, καὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεις τοῦ δέοντος. 34.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 34.1 Μέμνημαι τῆς σῆς συνουσίας, ἣν ἀλλήλοις συνεγενόμεθα πρώην ἐν Ματάζῃ τῇ ἐμῇ (ἐμὰ γὰρ καλῶ καὶ ὑπολαμβάνω τὰ σά), καὶ τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἣν τηνικαῦτα ἐφιλοσόφησας, ἧς φρίττω καὶ νῦν μεμνημένος ἔτι. 34.2 Ἐγὼ μὲν ἐξηγούμην σοι τὸν οβʹ ψαλμὸν (σὺ γὰρ ἐκέλευες καὶ ἀντιλέγειν οὐκ ἦν), ἐν ᾧ ∆αυῒδ ἰλιγγιᾷ καὶ ἀσχάλλει πρὸς τοὺς κακοὺς εὐθηνοῦντας· εἶτα πέμπων τοὺς λογισμοὺς εἰς τὰ ἐκεῖσε δικαιωτήρια καὶ τὴν ἀποκειμένην τοῖς βίοις ἀντίδοσιν, οὕτω τῆς ταραχῆς ἵσταται καὶ τὸ λυποῦν θεραπεύεται. 34.3 Καί, ὡς οἷόν τ' ἦν, εἷλκον τὴν ἐξήγησιν πρὸς τὸ πάθος, ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων, ἐκ τῶν ἔξωθεν ταῦτα φιλοσοφῶν, ὡς ἀνδρὶ πεπαιδευμένῳ καὶ τοσούτῳ διαλεγόμενος, καὶ ἅμα τοῦ Πνεύματος οὕτω φέροντος καὶ τοῦ ἀλγεῖν παραθήγοντος, οὐδὲν γὰρ τοῦ πάσχειν εὑρετικώτερον. 34.4 Ἔτρεχέ πως ὁ λόγος. Σὺ δὲ μεταξὺ τοῦ λόγου διαναστάς, ὥσπερ ἐξ ὕσπληγος, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνατείνας, πρός τε ἀνατολὰς οἷον βλέπων (οὐ γὰρ τὸ βλέπειν εἶχες)· «Εὐχαριστῶ σοι, Πάτερ, ἐβόας, ὦ ποιητὰ τῶν σῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ παιδευτά, ὅτι καὶ ἄκοντας ἡμᾶς εὖ ποιεῖς καὶ τῷ ἐκτὸς καθαίρεις τὸν ἐντὸς ἄνθρωπον καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων διεξάγεις ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὸ μακάριον τέλος, οἷς αὐτὸς ἐπίστασαι λόγοις.» 34.5 Καὶ τί ἂν λέγοιμι πάντα, οἷς προεφιλοσόφεις ἡμῶν καὶ συνεφιλοσόφεις, ὥσπερ τῇ νόσῳ χαίρων; καὶ εἶχες μαθητὴν τὸν διδάσκαλον. 34.6 Ἀλλὰ πρὸς τί τούτων ἐμνήσθην; ἐκεῖνο διὰ σοῦ πᾶσι βοῶν καὶ κηρύσσων, ὅτι θρηνητέοι μᾶλλον ἡμῖν οἱ κακοὶ τῆς ἔνδον νόσου ἤπερ ἐκείνοις ἡμεῖς τῆς ἐκτός, ἂν οὕτως ἔχωμεν, καὶ ὅτι κρείττων εὐημερίας ἀχαλινώτου νόσος φιλόσοφος. 35.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 35.1 Πρότερον μὲν αὐτὸς ἔγραφόν σοι τοὺς παρακλητικοὺς εἰς τὸ πάθος· προενεπεπτώκεις γάρ. Νῦν δέ μοι δοκεῖς αὐτὸς ἂν ἡμᾶς παρακαλέσαι, μικροῦ τὰ ἴσα κακοπαθοῦν τας. 35.2 Ἔδει γὰρ ἡμᾶς φίλους ὄντας μηδὲ ταῦτα χωρίζεσθαι· μᾶλλον δ' ἤδη παρακέκληκας, οἷς καρτερεῖς τὸ καρτερεῖν εἰσηγούμενος. 36.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 36.1 Ἀλγῶ τῇ νόσῳ καὶ χαίρω· οὐχ ὅτι ἀλγῶ, ἀλλ' ὅτι τοῦ καρτερεῖν τοῖς ἄλλοις εἰμὶ διδάσκαλος. 36.2 Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ μὴ πάσχειν οὐκ ἔχω, τοῦτό γε τῷ πάσχειν παρα κερδαίνω, τὸ φέρειν καὶ τὸ εὐχαριστεῖν ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς εὐθύμοις, οὕτω δὴ κἀν τοῖς ἀλγεινοῖς, ἐπειδὴ πείθομαι μηδὲν ἄλογον εἶναι παρὰ τῷ λόγῳ τῶν ἡμετέρων, κἂν ἡμῖν οὕτω φαίνηται. 37.Τ ΣΩΦΡΟΝΙΩΙ 37.1 Μητέρα τιμᾶν, τῶν ὁσίων. Μήτηρ δὲ ἄλλη μὲν ἄλλου· κοινὴ δὲ πάντων, πατρίς. Ταύτην ἐτίμησας μὲν πάσῃ σου τῇ τοῦ βίου λαμπρότητι· τιμήσεις δὲ καὶ νῦν αἰδεσθεὶς ἡμᾶς ὑπὲρ ὧν πρεσβεύομεν. 37.2 Ἡ πρεσβεία δὲ τίς; Τὸν λογιώτατον τῶν καθ' ἑαυτόν, Εὐδόξιον τὸν ῥήτορα πάντως γινώσκεις. Τούτου παῖς, ἵν' εἴπω συντό μως, ἄλλος Εὐδόξιος καὶ βίῳ καὶ λόγῳ νῦν σοι πρόσεισι δι' ἡμῶν. 37.3 Ἵν' οὖν ὀνομαστότερον σεαυτὸν καταστήσῃς, γενοῦ τῷ ἀνδρὶ δεξιὸς ἐν οἷς ἂν δέηται τῆς σῆς προστα σίας. 37.4 Αἰσχρὸν γάρ, κοινὸν ὄντα σε τῆς πατρίδος προστάτην καὶ πολλοὺς εὖ πεποιηκότα, προσθήσω δ' ὅτι καὶ ποιήσοντα, μὴ πρὸ πάντων τιμῆσαι τὸν ἄριστον ἐν λόγοις, οὕς, εἰ μή τι ἄλλο, κατὰ τοῦτο αἰδεῖσθαι δίκαιον, ὅτι τῶν σῶν καλῶν εἰσιν ἐπαινέται. 38.Τ ΘΕΜΙΣΤΙΩΙ 38.1 Σπαρτιάτας ἡ λόγχη γνωρίζει, ὦμος τοὺς Πελοπίδας, λόγοι τὸν μέγαν Θεμίστιον. Κἂν γὰρ ἐν πᾶσι πάντων κρατῇς, τοῦτο τῶν σῶν οἶδα τὸ ἐπισημότατον. 38.2 Τοῦτο καὶ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἡμᾶς συνῆψεν ἀλλήλοις, -εἰ δή τι τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐν λόγοις, -καὶ θαρρεῖν νῦν ἀνέπεισεν. 38.3 Εἰ δὲ μάθοις τὸν ἄνδρα ὑπὲρ οὗ πρεσβεύομεν, τάχα καὶ ἀποδέξῃ τοῦ θάρσους ἡμᾶς· Εὐδοξίου τοῦ πάνυ παῖδά σοι τοῦτον προσάγω, τὸν ἀξιολογώτατον υἱὸν ἡμῶν Εὐδόξιον βίῳ μὲν καὶ λόγῳ οἷον αὐτὸς εὑρήσεις 20τὸν λίθον ποτὶ τὰν σπάρταν ἄγων20, ὡς ἡ παροιμία (τίς δέ σου