17

of speech, but for him the wealth was from your treasures, we possess what is yours even if we received it through others; and if these things are few, little is the water in the amphorae, but it is from the Nile nonetheless.

14. To Libanius the sophist

14.1 It is customary for the Romans to celebrate a festival around the winter solstice according to some ancestral custom, when the sun, retracing its steps toward the upper region, the measure of the day begins to increase; the beginning of the month is considered sacred, and taking omens for the whole year through this day they engage in certain favorable 14.2 encounters and merriment and drinking parties. Why do I begin my letter from this point? Because I too celebrated this festival similarly to them, bearing gold; for then gold came into my hands, not, indeed, this common gold, which rulers love and the wealthy give as gifts, the heavy and shameful and lifeless possession, but that which is higher than all wealth for those who have sense, the truly most beautiful greeting, according to Pindar, I mean your letters and 14.3 the great wealth within them. For so it happened that on that day, when I visited the metropolis of the Cappadocians, I met one of my friends, who offered me this gift, the letter, as a kind of token of the festival. 14.4 And I, overjoyed at the encounter, set forth the gain for all present to share, and all partook, each one striving to possess the whole, and I was not diminished; for the letter, passing through the hands of all, became the private wealth of each, some by memory through continuous reading, others by imprinting the words on tablets, and again it was in my hands, delighting me more 14.5 than the substance of much gold delights the eyes. Since, therefore, for farmers too (for I shall use an example from familiar things) to enjoy the fruits of their labors gives much enthusiasm for subsequent toils, pardon us also for paying back what you yourself have given and for writing for this reason, that we might summon you again to write. 14.6 And I ask a common favor on behalf of our way of life, that you no longer entertain what you hinted at to us enigmatically at the end of the letter; for I say it is not a matter for proper judgment, if some err, deserting from the Greek language to the barbarian tongue and becoming mercenary soldiers and choosing the military ration instead of the glory of oratory, that for this reason you condemn letters and sentence our way of life to silence; for who will speak, if you ratify this grievous threat against 14.7 letters? But it is perhaps well to recall something from our Scripture; for our word commands those who are able to do some good not to look to the dispositions of those who are benefited, so as to be generous to the appreciative, but to shut off kindness from the ungrateful, but to imitate the steward of the universe, who sets forth a common participation in the good things in creation for both the good 14.8 and for those who are not such. Looking to these things, O admirable one, always present yourself to our way of life as past time has shown you; for those who do not see the sun do not prevent it from being the sun; therefore it is not right that the beam of your words be dimmed on account of those who have closed the senses of their soul. 14.9 As for Cynegius, I pray especially that he be far from the common disease which now has seized the young, and that he apply himself willingly to the study of letters; but if it should be otherwise, it is just to compel him even if he is unwilling, * in which state those who before this have apostatized from letters are now some pitiful men, sinking down from shame.

15. To John and Maximian

17

λόγου, ἐκείνῳ δὲ ὁ πλοῦτος ἐκ τῶν σῶν ἦν θησαυρῶν, τὰ σὰ κεκτήμεθα καὶ εἰ δι' ἑτέρων ὑπεδεξάμεθα· εἰ δὲ ὀλίγα ταῦτα, ὀλίγον ἐν τοῖς ἀμφορεῦσι τὸ ὕδωρ, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ Νείλου ὅμως.

14.τ Λιβανίῳ σοφιστῇ

14.1 Ἑορτὴν ἄγειν σύνηθες τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις περὶ τὴν χειμέριον τροπὴν κατά τι

πάτριον, ὅτε τοῦ ἡλίου πρὸς τὴν ἄνω χώραν ἀναποδίζοντος, πλεονάζειν ἄρχεται τὸ ἡμερήσιον μέτρον· ἱερὰ δὲ νενόμισται τοῦ μηνὸς ἡ ἀρχή, καὶ διὰ ταύτης τῆς ἡμέρας τὸ πᾶν ἔτος οἰωνιζόμενοι δεξιάς τινας 14.2 συντυχίας καὶ εὐφροσύνας καὶ πότους ἐπιτηδεύουσι. τί βουλόμενος ἐντεῦθεν τοῦ γράμματος ἄρχομαι; ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς διήγαγον τὴν ἑορτὴν ταύτην παραπλησίως ἐκείνοις χρυσοφορήσας· ἦλθε γὰρ τότε καὶ εἰς τὰς ἐμὰς χεῖρας χρυσός, οὔ τοι κατὰ τὸν πάνδημον τοῦτον χρυσόν, ὃ ἀγαπῶσιν οἱ ἄρχοντες καὶ δωροφοροῦσιν οἱ ἔχοντες, τὸ βαρὺ καὶ αἰσχρὸν καὶ ἄψυχον κτῆμα, ἀλλ' ὃ παντὸς πλούτου τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσιν ὑψηλότερόν ἐστι, τὸ κάλλιστον ὄν τως δεξίωμα κατὰ Πίνδαρον, τὰ σὰ φημὶ γράμματα καὶ 14.3 ὁ πολὺς ἐν ἐκείνοις πλοῦτος. οὕτω γὰρ συνέβη κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ἐπιφοιτήσαντά με τῇ μητροπόλει τῶν Καππαδοκῶν ἐντυχεῖν τινι τῶν ἐπιτηδείων, ὅς μοι τὸ δῶρον τοῦτο, τὴν ἐπιστολήν, οἷόν τι σύμβολον ἑορτῆς προε14.4 τείνατο. ἐγὼ δὲ περιχαρὴς τῇ συντυχίᾳ γενόμενος κοινὸν προὔθηκα τοῖς παροῦσι τὸ κέρδος, καὶ πάντες μετεῖχον τὸ ὅλον ἕκαστος ἔχειν φιλονεικοῦντες, καὶ οὐκ ἠλαττούμην ἐγώ· διεξιοῦσα γὰρ τὰς πάντων χεῖρας ἡ ἐπιστολὴ ἴδιος ἑκάστου πλοῦτος ἐγίνετο, τῶν μὲν τῇ μνήμῃ διὰ τῆς συνεχοῦς ἀναγνώσεως τῶν δὲ δέλτοις ἐναπομαξαμένων τὰ ῥήματα, καὶ πάλιν ἐν ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἦν χερσί, πλέον εὐφραίνουσα 14.5 ἢ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῶν πολυχρύσων ἡ ὕλη. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν καὶ τοῖς γεωργοῖς (χρήσομαι γὰρ ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων τῷ ὑποδείγματι) πολλὴν δίδωσι πρὸς τοὺς δευτέρους τῶν πόνων τὴν προθυμίαν τὸ τῶν πονηθέντων ἀπόνασθαι, σύγγνωθι καὶ ἡμῖν ἅπερ αὐτὸς δέδωκας καταβαλλομένοις καὶ διὰ τοῦτο γράφουσιν, ἵνα σε πάλιν πρὸς τὸ γράφειν ἐκκαλεσώμεθα. 14.6 Αἰτοῦμαι δὲ χάριν ὑπὲρ τοῦ βίου κοινήν, ὅσα δι' αἰνίγματος ἡμῖν τὰ τελευταῖα τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ὑπηπείλησας, μηκέτι διανοεῖσθαι· οὐδὲ γὰρ καλῶς ἔχειν φημὶ κρίσεως, εἴ τινες ἁμαρτάνουσι πρὸς τὴν βάρβαρον γλῶσσαν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλληνίδος αὐτομολοῦντες καὶ μισθοφόροι στρατιῶται γινόμενοι καὶ τὸ στρατιωτικὸν σιτηρέσιον ἀντὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ λέγειν δόξης αἱρούμενοι, διὰ τοῦτό σε καταδικάζειν τῶν λόγων καὶ ἀφωνίαν τοῦ βίου καταψηφίζεσθαι· τίς γὰρ ὁ φθεγγόμενος, εἰ σὺ τὴν βαρεῖαν ταύτην ἀπειλὴν κατὰ τῶν 14.7 λόγων κυρώσειας; ἀλλὰ καλῶς ἔχει τάχα μνημονεῦσαί τινος τῶν ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέρας Γραφῆς· κελεύει γὰρ ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος τοὺς δυναμένους εὖ τι ποιεῖν μὴ πρὸς τὰς γνώμας τῶν εὐεργετουμένων βλέπειν, ὡς φιλοτιμεῖσθαι μὲν τοῖς εὐαισθήτοις, ἀποκλείειν δὲ τοῖς ἀχαρίστοις τὴν εὐποιΐαν, ἀλλὰ μιμεῖσθαι τὸν τοῦ παντὸς οἰκονόμον, ὃς κοινὴν προτίθησι τῶν ἐν τῇ κτίσει καλῶν τὴν μετουσίαν ἀγαθοῖς τε 14.8 καὶ μὴ τοιούτοις. πρὸς ταῦτα βλέπων, ὦ θαυμάσιε, δὸς ἀεὶ τοιοῦτον τῷ βίῳ σαυτόν, οἷος ὁ παρελθὼν ἔδειξε χρόνος· οὐ γὰρ τὸν ἥλιον οἱ μὴ βλέποντες κωλύουσιν ἥλιον εἶναι· οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ τὴν ἀκτῖνα τῶν σῶν λόγων ἀμαυροῦσθαι καλῶς ἔχει διὰ τοὺς μεμυκότας τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αἰσθητήρια. 14.9 Τὸν δὲ Κυνήγιον εὔχομαι μὲν ὡς μάλιστα μὲν πόρρω τῆς κοινῆς εἶναι νόσου, ἣ νῦν τοὺς νέους κατείληφε, προσέχειν δὲ κατὰ τὸ ἑκούσιον τῇ περὶ τοὺς λόγους σπουδῇ· εἰ δὲ ἄλλως ἔχοι, δίκαιόν ἐστι καὶ μὴ βουλόμενον αὐτὸν ἐκβιάζεσθαι, * ἐν ᾧ νῦν ὄντες οἱ πρὸ τούτου τῶν λόγων ἀποστατήσαντες ἐλεεινοί τινές εἰσιν ὑπ' αἰσχύνης καταδυόμενοι.

15.τ Ἰωάννῃ καὶ Μαξιμιανῷ