Ep. XXXVII.

To honour a mother is a religious duty.  Now, different individuals have different mothers; but the common mother of all is our country.  This mother you have honoured by the splendour of your whole life; and you will honour her again now by obtaining for me that which I entreat.  And what is my request?  You certainly know Eudoxius the Rhetorician, the most learned of her sons.  His son, to speak concisely, another Eudoxius both in life and learning, now approaches you through me.  In order then to get yourself a yet better name, be helpful to him in the matters for which he asks your assistance.  For it were a shame were you, who are the universal Patron of our Country, and who have done good to so many, and I will add, who will yet continue to do so, should not honour above all him who is most excellent in learning and in his eloquence, which you ought to honour, if for no other reason, because he uses it to praise your goodness.

[37] ΣΩΦΡΟΝΙΩΙ

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. Ἡ πρεσβεία δὲ τίς; Τὸν λογιώτατον τῶν καθ' ἑαυτόν, Εὐδόξιον τὸν ῥήτορα πάντως γινώσκεις. Τούτου παῖς, ἵν' εἴπω συντόμως, ἄλλος Εὐδόξιος καὶ βίῳ καὶ λόγῳ νῦν σοι πρόσεισι δι' ἡμῶν. Ἵν' οὖν ὀνομαστότερον σεαυτὸν καταστήσῃς, γενοῦ τῷ ἀνδρὶ δεξιὸς ἐν οἷς ἂν δέηται τῆς σῆς προστασίας. 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.