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Stratocles: "1Was I wrong, if for at least two days you became happier because of me and the appearance was a gain?2" but since a mother’s affair seems to Pindar superior even to business, may your fatherland see you sooner, and after it, us. 53 To Philip the brother Behold, another letter to you from me, and again I know well that you will be silent. And if you would grant me pardon for speaking while annoyed, your character has changed toward arrogance, and you are not willing to remain as you were before. But it is a good thing that I did not sail across the sea of the Bosporus and arrive at the emperor’s city; for perhaps I too, seeing the great emperor and the consuls’ robes and a certain so-called greatest office and these august things among you, whether you wish to call them things or names, would have raised my eyebrow and thought boastfully, being puffed up by the fortune of the things seen, and my old friends would have seemed nonsense to me. For where you have been captured by these things, I could not easily say how I would have escaped from not suffering the same things, unless some reasoning had crept in, that judgment and fortune are not the same, my good sir, but the one is borne along as it sees fit and often changes and laughs at our affairs, while it is fitting for the prudent man to be master of the other, and neither to rise up with it when it is rising nor to change along with it when it is falling. 54 To Zacharias the brother What would I become, having found a lover and a brother accusing me, and thinking that I have nothing at all to say? For what do you say? That we are orators and fathers of many daughters; for so it seemed good to name the letters. "1But these things were,"2 you say, "1in the past; for now they are no longer,"2 but we are some insolent men, dishonoring the law of love. But if I were some poet, I would have called upon Apollo, I suppose, and the Muses, saying "1grant me"2 "1to speak and to persuade and not to appear unjust in matters of love; but now at least I will imitate something poetic "2and I will swear a great oath, and let the gods be witnesses,"2 that our affairs are not as they are somehow said to be, but for us there is still reverence for friendship and memory of our dearest. What then, you say, is this silence? I fear that some unjust fortune may revel in my offspring, and carry my daughters, as they hasten to you, one one way and another another; and somehow the hands of strangers carried them off, not knowing who they are and from where. But because I am unfortunate in these matters I have seemed and am judged ungrateful. So then, why would one be distressed speaking of the others? But yesterday or the day before one was sent to you, recounting my struggles, and now, as it seems, a certain stranger is wandering and desolate. But may she come someday into your hands, and may I rejoice upon hearing it. And having received your roses I was pleased at them no less than Odysseus seeing the generosity of Alcinous; for there, receiving alone held the pleasure, but with us it is both, that you give, and I receive. 55 To Epiphanius Are you still silent? Are we still among the cast-offs, and has nothing of old loves entered your mind? You are some ruthless and implacable man. Recall to my mind, that you did not depart from us on such hopes, but you were weeping, alas, and you departed with difficulty, and you promised to write almost before you set foot on land. But now those things are gone, and you are only silent, and of us there is no word. And if you are silent still, I will cry out something tragic, saying "1O Zeus"2 and Friendship and Words, "1you have been wronged, and I have been wronged. The one who does wrong was once called a friend. For now he is no longer."2 56 To John If silence shows friendship to be false, it is necessary for it always to consist of words, if indeed it is refuted when these are absent. Therefore it remains to consider even an enemy a friend, only if he should speak. But let us not be such judges of friendship. For what prevents one even when silent from seeing his friends in memory? Which is the case for us now and will never cease. But let us rather consider that it is not granted to do all things as each one wishes, but the external cares of life and the uncertainty of the future sometimes master our reason, and these things lead, while one serves and obeys. And so for me, since I have embarked upon teaching, both continual struggles and the cares concerning them have assailed me from the beginning and until now have not left. It was necessary to consider these things rather than to suspect over small matters that we were once good at friendship and now already

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Στρατοκλῆς "1ἠδίκουν, εἰ δυοῖν γοῦν ἡμέραιν ἡδίους γεγόνατε δι' ἐμὲ καὶ κέρδος ἦν τὸ δοκεῖν;"2 ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μητρὸς πρᾶγμα καὶ ἀσχολίας ὑπέρτερον τῷ Πινδάρῳ δοκεῖ, ἴδοι σε θᾶττον ἡ πατρίς, καὶ μετ' ἐκείνην ἡμεῖς. 53 Φιλίππωι ἀδελφῶι Ἰδού σοι πάλιν ἐπιστολὴ παρ' ἡμῶν, καὶ πάλιν εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι σιγήσεις. καὶ εἴ μοι δοίης συγγνώμην ἀχθομένῳ λέγειν, μεταβέβληταί σοι πρὸς ἀλαζονείαν ὁ τρόπος, καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλεις μένειν οἷος ἦσθα καὶ πρότερον. ἀλλ' εὖ γε ὅτι μὴ τὴν τοῦ Βοσπόρου διέπλευσα θάλατταν καὶ βασιλέως πόλιν ἀφῖγμαι· ἴσως γὰρ ἂν κἀγὼ βασιλέα τὸν μέγαν ὁρῶν καὶ τὴν τῶν ὑπάτων στολὴν καὶ ἀρχὴν δή τινα μεγίστην καλουμένην καὶ τὰ σεμνὰ δὴ ταῦτα τὰ παρ' ὑμῖν, εἴτε πράγματα βούλει λέγειν εἴτε ὀνόματα, ἐπῆρα τὴν ὀφρῦν καὶ νεανικὸν ἐφρόνουν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὁρωμένων ἐπαιρόμενος τύχην, καί μοι τὰ πάλαι φίλα λῆρος ἐδόκει. ὅπου γὰρ σὺ τούτοις ἑάλως, οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμι ῥᾳδίως ὡς διέφυγον ἂν τὸ μὴ οὐ ταὐτὰ παθεῖν, εἰ μή μέ τις ἄρα λογισμὸς ὑπεισῆλθεν ὡς οὖ ταὐτόν, ὦ λῷστε, γνώμη καὶ τύχη, ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν ὡς ἂν αὐτῇ δοκῇ φέρεται καὶ μεταπίπτει πολλάκις καὶ γελᾷ τὰ ἡμέτερα, τῆς δὲ κύριον εἶναι προσήκει τὸν σωφρονοῦντα, καὶ μήτε αἰρομένῃ συναναστῆναι μήτε πιπτούσῃ συμ μεταβάλλεσθαι. 54 Ζαχαρίαι ἀδελφῶι Τίς ἂν γενοίμην ἐραστὴν καὶ ἀδελφὸν κατηγοροῦντα λαβών, καὶ μηδὲν ἔχειν οἰόμενον ὅ τι καὶ λέξωμεν; τί γὰρ δὴ φής; ῥήτορες ἡμεῖς καὶ θυγατέρων πατέρες πολλῶν· τὰς γὰρ ἐπιστολὰς οὕτως ὀνομάζειν ἐδόκει. "1ἀλλ' ἦν"2, φής, "1πάλαι ταῦτα· νῦν γὰρ οὐκέτι"2, ἀλλ' ὑβρισταί τινες ἡμεῖς καὶ θεσμὸν ἀτιμάζοντες ἔρωτος. ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν ἦν τις ποιητικός, τὸν Ἀπόλλω δήπου καὶ τὰς Μούσας ἐκάλουν ἄν, "1δοίητέ μοι"2 λέγων "1εἰπεῖν καὶ πεῖσαι καὶ μὴ ἄδικον φανῆναι τὰ παιδικά· νυνὶ δὲ μιμήσομαι γοῦν τι ποιητικὸν "1καὶ ἐπὶ μέγαν ὅρκον ὀμοῦμαι, θεοὶ δ' ἐπιμάρτυρες ἔστων"2, μὴ οὕτως ἔχειν τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὥς που καὶ λέγεται, ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἔτι φιλίας ἡμῖν αἰδὼς καὶ μνήμη φιλτάτων. τίς οὖν, φής, ἡ σιγή; δέδοικα μή τις ἄδικος τύχη ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἐπικωμάζῃ γοναῖς, καὶ πρὸς σὲ τὰς ἐμὰς παῖδας ἐπειγομένας ἄλλην ἄλλοτε φέρῃ· καί που ξένων ταύτας ἠνέγκαντο χεῖρες, ἀγνοούντων τίνες αὗται καὶ πόθεν. ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἀτυχῶν ἐπὶ ταύταις καὶ ἀγνώμων ἐδόκουν καὶ κρίνομαι. τὰς μὲν οὖν ἄλλας τί ἂν ἀνιῷτό τις λέγων; ἀλλὰ χθές που καὶ πρῴην ἐστάλη τις ὡς σέ, τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἀγῶνας διηγουμένη, καὶ νῦν, ὡς ἔοικε, ξένη τις πλανᾶται καὶ ἔρημος. ἀλλ' ἥκοι ποτὲ χεῖρας εἰς σάς, καὶ εὐφραινοίμην ἀκούσας. τὰ δὲ σὰ ῥόδα λαβὼν ἥσθην ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐχ ἧττον ἢ Ὀδυσσεὺς τὴν Ἀλκίνου φιλοτι μίαν ὁρῶν· ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ τὸ λαβεῖν εἶχε μόνον τὴν ἡδονήν, παρ' ἡμῖν δὲ ἄμφω, ὅτι σὺ μὲν δίδως, ἐγὼ δὲ λαμβάνω. 55 Ἐπιφανίωι Ἔτι σιγᾷς; ἔτι τῶν ἀπερριμμένων ἡμεῖς, οὐδέ σε παλαιῶν ἐρώτων ὑπεισῆλθεν οὐδέν; νηλεὴς σύ γέ τις καὶ ἀμείλιχος. ἀνάλαβέ μοι τὴν μνήμην, ὡς οὐκ ἐπὶ τοιαύταις ἡμῶν ἀπῆρας ἐλπίσιν, ἀλλ' ἐδάκρυες μὲν οἴμοι καὶ μόλις ἀπήρχου, γράψειν δὲ ὡμολόγεις μικροῦ δεῖν καὶ πρὶν ἐπιβῆναι τῆς γῆς. νυνὶ δὲ οἴχεται μὲν ἐκεῖνα, σιωπᾷς δὲ μόνον, ἡμῶν δὲ λόγος οὐδείς. εἰ δὲ σιωπήσεις ἔτι, ἀναβοήσομαί τι τραγικόν, "1ἰὼ Ζεῦ"2 λέγων καὶ Φιλία καὶ Λόγοι, "1ἠδίκησθε μὲν ὑμεῖς, ἠδίκημαι δὲ ἐγώ. ὁ δὲ ἀδικῶν ἦν ὅτε φίλον ἐκάλει. νῦν γὰρ οὐκέτι"2. 56 Ἰωάννηι Εἰ τὴν φιλίαν ἐψευσμένην δείκνυσι τὸ σιγᾶν, ἀνάγκη μέχρι λόγων αὐτὴν ἀεὶ συνεστάναι, εἴ γε τούτων ἀπόντων ἐλέγχεται. οὐκοῦν λείπεται καὶ τὸν δυσμενῆ φίλον ἡγεῖσθαι, μόνον εἰ φθέγγοιτο. ἀλλὰ μὴ τοιοῦτοι κριταὶ φιλίας ἡμεῖς. τί γὰρ κωλύει καὶ σιωπῶντα τῇ μνήμῃ τοὺς φίλους ὁρᾶν; ὅπερ ἡμῖν καὶ νῦν ἐστὶ καὶ οὔποτε παύσεται. λογισώμεθα δὲ μᾶλλον ὡς οὐ δέδοται πάντα πράττειν ὡς ἕκαστος βούλεται, αἱ ἔξωθεν δὲ φροντίδες τοῦ βίου καὶ τὸ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἄδηλον ἐπικρατοῦσιν ἔσθ' ὅτε τοῦ λογισμοῦ, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄγει, ὁ δὲ δουλεύει καὶ πείθεται. κἀμοὶ τοίνυν, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ διδάσκειν ἐπέβην, ἀγῶνές τε συνεχεῖς καὶ αἱ περὶ τούτων φροντίδες ἐξ ἀρχῆς τε ἐπ έθεντο καὶ μέχρι νῦν οὐκ ἀπέλιπον. ταῦτα μᾶλλον ἐχρῆν ἐνθυμεῖσθαι ἢ ἐπὶ μικροῖς ὑποπτεύειν ὡς ἦμεν ἀγαθοί ποτε πρὸς φιλίαν καὶ νῦν ἤδη