16

we have ceased. But oh Zeus and the Loves and as many as are overseers of friendship, may you persuade my accusers that I never came to forget them, but am with them in my thoughts and seem to say something and to hear them speak, and that if I do not know them, I have forgotten myself. 57 To Hieronymus (?) Do you still dwell by the Nile? Do you still disregard those who long for you? What great thing has befallen you, tell me? For if you think that delay inflames our love the more, know well that it has reached its peak, and you could not have anything more to add to the matter. But if the city of the Macedonian draws you for the sake of its charms and the appearance of having Helicon itself, emulate Odysseus and, having passed by the Sirens, remember Ithaca. For now, desiring to see you in the ancient fashion wearing a cicada, I gaze open-mouthed at the sea and scan the merchant ships, if ever I will see you arriving. But you seem to me to have emulated that son of Theseus, and this while teaching the boys "1Demophoon, bridegroom, unjust guest..."2, you who no longer wish to remember even your child, who is both beautiful and, if you were here, already able to call you father. 58 To the brothers Zacharias and Philip With what longing for you I am possessed, how could I represent it in words, unless perhaps you happen to have suffered similarly? For one who has suffered knows how to judge about this. But I am persuaded that you are such men, and preserve the law of friendship and of nature, from the way you write and offer consolation in your letters. Nevertheless, for me, helpless in my passion, it has often occurred to me to say something like this. "1Would that I might become Perseus and appear winged, cutting the air and being carried over the sea, so that as soon as it seemed good, I might be with you and have enjoyment of my love."2 It is against nature, but the thought is not far from those who long, to wander easily and to dream of things that are not wont to happen. And if you would bear with my mythologizing again, many times I have already emulated Abaris, being a Scythian and a barbarian, but wise in other respects; or if you wish, fortunate, because having the arrow serving his will, he was led to whomever he wished, and no length of journey troubled Abaris. But why should I seek things that are far and against nature? Only letters are left to us for consolation, and let Perseus and Abaris be given over to poets and myths. 59 To my brother Philip If both ancient stories and the law of nature wish for one to render to one's parents what is due, how much more likely is it to pay a debt of gratitude to one's fatherland, from which came one's origin and also one's parents? To this the present occasion now calls you, and consider that she who bore you sends forth this voice to you through me; for thus you will have both fulfilled your duty and will provide us with a memory of the matter, inasmuch as the need is about the greatest things. But expect nothing burdensome, but for you it is very easy to give, and for those who receive, a great thing to obtain. We wish the petitions on behalf of the city to be presented to the great emperor through the high priest among you or the emperor's brother, so that the dignity of the one presenting it may provide some weight to what is given. For in doing these things you will lay up a common gratitude both for those who have asked and for us who have been asked. 60 To Epiphanius If when we speak you are silent, but you write when we are silent, I fear in writing if it is absolutely necessary either to speak to the voiceless or to hear those who are silent. And yet men naturally devised letter-writing, so that for the absent they might preserve an imitation of those present and say something in letters just as if they were together. But when I read your letter I even wept from pleasure, and I seemed to hear you present, just as you were accustomed to be, and breathing something sweet, I said, "1this"2 "1is that, the dearest voice."2 But oh, by Love himself and that friendship, if you still know and remember it, do not be away from me in your letters, nor take away my only consolation, lest perhaps I should soon envy those who do not love at all, for whom it does not happen to suffer such things and lament. 61 To the brothers Zacharias and Philip I have already recommended so-and-so to you through my former letter, not knowing him precisely, but from the way he presented himself, thinking him to be what he was not; for he was secretly using a fine pretence, but being such a man as experience has shown him to be. For setting out from the land of the Gazaeans and

16

πεπαύμεθα. ἀλλ' ὦ Ζεῦ καὶ Ἔρωτες καὶ ὅσοι φιλίας ἐπόπται, πείθοιτε τοὺς ἐμοὺς κατηγό ρους, ὡς οὔποτε πρὸς λήθην αὐτῶν ἀφικόμην, ἀλλὰ σύνειμι τῷ λογισμῷ καὶ λέγειν τι δοκῶ καὶ λεγόντων ἀκούειν, καὶ ὡς εἰ τούτους ἀγνοῶ, καὶ ἐμαυτοῦ ἐπιλέλησμαι. 57 Ἱερωνύμωι (?) Ἔτι παρὰ τὸν Νεῖλον οἰκεῖς; ἔτι ποθοῦντας ὑπερορᾷς; τί τοσοῦτον, εἰπέ μοι, παθών; εἰ μὲν γὰρ οἴει τὸ βράδος ἐπὶ πλέον ἡμῖν ἐξάπτειν τὸν ἔρωτα, ἴσθι δὴ καλῶς ὡς εἰς ἄκρον ἀφῖκται, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις ὅ τι προσθήσεις ἔτι τῷ πράγματι. εἰ δέ σε τοῦ Μακεδόνος ἡ πόλις ἐφέλκεται χαρίτων ἕνεκα καὶ τοῦ δοκεῖν αὐτὸν ἔχειν ἤδη τὸν Ἑλικῶνα, ζήλου τὸν Ὀδυσσέα καὶ παρ ελθὼν τὰς Σειρῆνας μέμνησο τῆς Ἰθάκης. καὶ γάρ σε νῦν ἐπιθυμῶν ἀρχαίῳ σχήματι τεττιγοφόρον ἰδεῖν κέχηνα τῇ θαλάττῃ καὶ περισκοπῶ τὰς ὁλκάδας, εἴποτε παρόντα θεάσομαι. σὺ δέ μοι δοκεῖς τὸν Θησέως ἐκεῖνον ἐζηλωκέναι, καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς παισὶ καθηγούμενος "1νυμφίε ∆ημοφόων, ἄδικε ξένε ..."2, ὃς οὐδὲ παιδὸς θέλεις ἔτι μεμνῆσθαι, καλοῦ τε ὄντος καὶ εἴ γε παρείης ἤδη σε δυναμένου πατέρα καλεῖν. 58 Ζαχαρίαι καὶ Φιλίππωι ἀδελφοῖσ Ὅσῳ τῷ περὶ ὑμᾶς κεκράτημαι πόθῳ, πῶς ἂν δυναίμην παραστῆσαι τῷ λόγῳ, πλὴν εἰ μή που παραπλήσια τυγχάνετε πεπονθότες; ὁ γὰρ πεπονθὼς τὰ περὶ τούτου κρίνειν ἐπίσταται. πέπεισμαι δὲ τοιούτους εἶναι, καὶ νόμον διασώζειν φιλίας ἅμα καὶ φύσεως ἐξ ὧν καὶ γράφετε καὶ παραμυθεῖσθε τοῖς γράμμασιν. ἐμοὶ δ' οὖν ὅμως ἠπορημένῳ τῷ πάθει καὶ τοιοῦτό τι πολλάκις ἐπῆλθεν εἰπεῖν. "1εἴθε γενοίμην Περσεὺς καὶ φανείην ὑπόπτερος τὸν ἀέρα τέμνων καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς θαλάσσης φερόμενος, ὅπως ἂν ἅμα τε δοκῇ καὶ γίνωμαι παρ' ὑμῖν καὶ ἀποναίμην τοῦ ἔρωτος."2 παρὰ φύσιν μὲν ἀλλ' οὐ πόρρω ποθούντων ἡ γνώμη, πλανᾶσθαί τε ῥᾳδίως καὶ ὀνειροπολεῖν ἃ οὐ πέφυκε γίνεσθαι. εἰ δέ μου πάλιν μυθολογοῦντος ἀνάσχοιο, ἤδη καὶ τὸν Ἄβαριν πολλάκις ἐζήλωσα, Σκύθην μὲν ὄντα καὶ βάρβαρον, σοφὸν δὲ ἄλλως· εἰ δὲ θέλεις, εὐδαίμονα, ὅτι τὸν οἰστὸν ἔχων ὑπηρετοῦντα τῇ γνώμῃ παρ' οὓς ἤθελεν ἤγετο, καὶ ὁδοῦ μῆκος οὐδὲν παρελύπει τὸν Ἄβαριν. ἀλλὰ τί μοι τὰ πόρρω παρὰ φύσιν ζητεῖν; μόνον ἡμῖν λείπεται πρὸς παραμυθίαν τὰ γράμματα, Περσεὺς δὲ καὶ Ἄβαρις ποιηταῖς δεδόσθων καὶ μύθοις. 59 Φιλίππωι ἀδελφῶι Εἰ τοῖς γονεῦσι τὸ προσῆκον ἀποδιδόναι παλαιοί τε λόγοι καὶ ὁ τῆς φύσεως βούλεται νόμος, πόσον εἰκὸς πατρίδι χάριν ἐκτίνειν, ἐξ ἧς προῆλθε καὶ τοῖς γονεῦσιν ἀρχή; ἐπὶ ταύτην σε νῦν ὁ καιρὸς καλεῖ, καὶ δόκει τὴν ἐνεγκοῦσαν ταύτην δι' ἐμοῦ σοι φωνὴν ἀφιέναι· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τὸ δέον ἔσῃ πεπληρωκὼς καὶ μνήμην ἡμῖν παράσχοις τοῦ πράγματος, ὅσῳ καὶ περὶ τῶν μεγίστων ἡ χρεία. βαρὺ δὲ προσδόκα μηδέν, ἀλλὰ σοὶ μὲν ῥᾷστον διδόναι, μέγα δὲ τοῖς λαβοῦσι τυχεῖν. βασιλεῖ τῷ μεγάλῳ τὰς ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως δεήσεις ἐπιδοθῆναι βουλόμεθα διὰ τοῦ παρ' ὑμῖν ἀρχιερέως ἢ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀδελφοῦ, ἵνα τὸ τοῦ ἐπιδιδόντος ἀξίωμα λόγον τινὰ παράσχῃ τῷ διδομένῳ. ταῦτα γὰρ ποιῶν κοινὴν καταθήσει χάριν καὶ τοῖς αἰτήσασι καὶ τοῖς αἰτηθεῖσιν ἡμῖν. 60 Ἐπιφανίωι Εἰ λαλούντων μὲν ἡμῶν σιωπᾷς, γράφεις δὲ σιωπώντων, δέδοικα γράφων εἴγε δέῃ πάντως ἢ λαλεῖν ἀφώνοις ἢ σιωπῶντας ἀκούειν. καίτοιγε τὸ ἐπιστέλλειν ὡς εἰκὸς ἐμηχανήσαντο ἄνθρωποι, ὅπως ἀποῦσι μίμημα σώζοιεν παρόντων καὶ λέγοιέν τι τοῖς γράμμασιν ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ καὶ συνόντες. ἐγὼ δέ σου τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀναγνοὺς ὑφ' ἡδονῆς καὶ ἐδάκρυσα, καί σου παρόντος ὥσπερ εἰώθεις ἐδόκουν ἀκούειν, καὶ ἡδύ τι πνεύσας "1τοῦτο"2 εἶπον "1ἐκεῖνο, ἡ φιλτάτη φωνή"2. ἀλλ' ὦ πρὸς ἔρωτος αὐτοῦ καὶ φιλίας ἐκείνης, εἴ που ταύ την ἔτι οἶσθα καὶ μέμνησαι, μή μοι τοῖς γράμμασιν ἀποδήμει, μηδὲ τὴν μόνην ἀφέλῃ παραμυθίαν, μήποτε τάχα ζηλώσω τοὺς μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐρῶντας, οὓς μηδὲ συμβαίνει τοιαῦτα παθόντας ὀδύρεσθαι. 61 Ζαχαρίαι καὶ Φιλίππωι ἀδελφοῖσ Τὸν δεῖνα φθάσας ὑμῖν συνέστησα διὰ τῆς προτέρας ἐπιστολῆς, οὐκ εἰς ἀκριβὲς ἐκεῖνον εἰδώς, ἀλλ' ἐξ ὧν ἐπλάττετο τοῦτον ἡγούμενος ὅπερ οὐκ ἦν· ἐλάνθανε γὰρ προσχήματι μὲν καλῷ κεχρημένος, ὢν δὲ τοιοῦτος οἷον ὑπέδειξε τοῦτον ἡ πεῖρα. ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς Γαζαίων ὁρμώμενος καὶ