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a letter, which, when he took possession of Limnae, though we forbade and threatened him, he sent to us, being insolent and reproachful, and as if singing a victory song over us as though we were defeated. 50.8 And yet what sense does it make, on the one hand to offend him on your account, and on the other hand to displease you, as if favoring him? But you should have learned these things beforehand, O admirable one, and not have been insolent then, if for no other reason, to us as your elders. 50.9 But if you are too ostentatious and ambitious, and you speak to us from a superior position, as a metropolitan to inhabitants of a small city, or even to those without a city, we too have a brow that we will raise in opposition. For this is easiest for anyone, and perhaps more reasonable.

51.T TO NICOBULUS 51.1 Of those who write letters (since you ask this too),

some write longer than is fitting, and others far too short; and both miss the mark of moderation, just like archers aiming at targets, whether they shoot short of them or overshoot them; for the failure is the same, even if it comes from opposite directions. 51.2 The measure of letters is the need; and one must neither write at greater length where the subject matter is not extensive, nor be brief where it is extensive. 51.3 For what? Must wisdom be measured by the Persian schoenus, or by childish cubits, and thus to write so imperfectly as not to write at all, but to imitate midday shadows or lines that meet head-on, whose lengths shrink and appear dimly rather than clearly, being recognized by some of their extremities, and are, as I might aptly say, images of images? It is necessary, while avoiding the lack of measure in both, to hit the mark of moderation. 51.4 Concerning conciseness, then, this is what I know; but concerning clarity, this is well-known, that one must, avoiding the literary style as much as possible, incline more to the conversational; and, to put it briefly, that letter is best and most excellent which persuades both the unlearned and the educated man—the former, as being on the level of the many, the latter, as being above the many—and is immediately intelligible; for it is equally out of place for a riddle to be understood and for a letter to need interpretation. 51.5 The third quality of letters is charm. And we shall preserve this if we neither write in a completely dry and charmless and unadorned manner, unembellished and unkempt, as they say, that is, without maxims and proverbs and apophthegms, and also jokes and riddles, by which speech is sweetened; nor appear to overuse these things; for the one is boorish, the other is cloying. 51.6 And one must use these things only so much as purple is used in woven fabrics. We will admit figures of speech, but few, and these not shameless ones. Antitheses and parisa and isocola we will reject for the sophists; but if we should ever employ them, we will do this more in a playful than a serious manner. 51.7 The end of the matter, which I heard from one of the wits speaking about the eagle, when the birds were being judged for the kingship and came having adorned themselves each in his own way, was that the most beautiful thing about him was that he did not think he was beautiful. This must be especially observed in letters: the unadorned, and what is closest to nature. 51.8 So much for you about letters, as from me through a letter; and these things are perhaps not from us, for whom greater matters are of concern; but as for the rest, you will both labor at it yourself, being quick to learn, and the experts in these matters will teach you. 52.T TO THE SAME 52.1 In autumn you ask for flowers from the meadow and you arm Nestor in his old age, demanding from me now something skillful in words, I who long ago have done away with the pleasantness of all speech and of life. 52.2 Nevertheless, (for you do not impose upon me some Eurysthean or Herculean labor, but a very gentle and familiar one, to collect for you as many of my letters as possible); 20take now this strap20 for your 20placing among20 books, not one of love, but one of discourse, not so much for show as for use and for our circle. 52.3 For of one man one thing is the mark of distinction, of another, another, whether small or

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ἐπιστολήν, ἥν, ὅτε κατέσχε Λίμνας, ἡμῶν ἀπαγορευόντων καὶ ἀπειλούντων, ἐπέσταλκε πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὑβρίζων καὶ ὀνειδίζων καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπινίκιόν τινα καθ' ἡμῶν ᾄδων ὡς ἡττημένων. 50.8 Καίτοι τίνα ἔχει λόγον, ἐκείνῳ μὲν προσκρούειν δι' ὑμᾶς, ὑμῖν δ' ἀπαρέσ κειν, ὡς ἐκείνῳ χαριζομένους; Ταῦτα δὲ ἔδει πρότερον μαθεῖν, ὦ θαυμάσιε, καὶ μὴ τότε ὑβρίζειν, εἰ μή τι ἄλλο, ὡς πρεσβυτέρους. 50.9 Εἰ δὲ λίαν ἐπιδεικτικῶς ἔχεις καὶ φιλοτίμως, καὶ ἐξ ὑπερδεξίων ἡμῖν διαλέγῃ, ὡς μητροπο λίτης μικροπολίταις, ἢ καὶ ἀπόλισιν, ἔστι καὶ ἡμῖν ὀφρὺς ἣν ἀνθέξομεν. Ῥᾷστον γὰρ τοῦτο παντί, καὶ ἴσως εὐλογώτερον.

51.Τ ΝΙΚΟΒΟΥΛΩΙ 51.1 Τῶν γραφόντων ἐπιστολὰς (ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῦτο αἰτεῖς),

οἱ μὲν μακρότερα γράφουσιν ἤπερ εἰκός, οἱ δὲ καὶ λίαν ἐνδεέστερα· καὶ ἀμφότεροι τοῦ μετρίου διαμαρ τάνουσιν, ὥσπερ τῶν σκοπῶν οἱ τοξεύοντες, ἄν τε εἴσω πέμπωσιν, ἄν τε ὑπερπέμπωσι· τὸ γὰρ ἀποτυγχάνειν ἴσον, κἂν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων γίνηται. 51.2 Ἔστι δὲ μέτρον τῶν ἐπιστολῶν, ἡ χρεία· καὶ οὔτε μακρότερα γραπτέον, οὗ μὴ πολλὰ τὰ πράγματα, οὔτε μικρολογητέον, ἔνθα πολλά. 51.3 Τί γάρ; Ἦ τῇ περσικῇ σχοίνῳ μετρεῖσθαι δεῖ τὴν σοφίαν, ἢ παιδικοῖς πήχεσι, καὶ οὕτως ἀτελῆ γράφειν ὡς μηδὲ γράφειν, ἀλλὰ μιμεῖσθαι τῶν σκιῶν τὰς μεσημβρινὰς ἢ τῶν γραμμῶν τὰς κατὰ πρόσωπον ἀπαν τώσας, ὧν συνιζάνει τὰ μήκη καὶ παραφαίνεται μᾶλλον ἢ φαίνεται τῶν ἄκρων τισὶ γνωριζόμενα, καὶ ἔστιν, ὡς ἂν εἴποιμι καιρίως, εἰκασμάτων εἰκάσματα; ∆έον, ἀμφοτέρων φεύγοντα τὴν ἀμετρίαν, τοῦ μετρίου κατατυγχάνειν. 51.4 Περὶ μὲν δὴ τῆς συντομίας ταῦτα γινώσκω· περὶ δὲ σαφηνείας ἐκεῖνο γνώριμον, ὅτι χρὴ φεύγοντα τὸ λογοειδές, ὅσον ἐνδέχεται, μᾶλλον εἰς τὸ λαλικὸν ἀποκλίνειν· καί, ἵν' εἴπω συντόμως, αὕτη τῶν ἐπιστολῶν ἀρίστη καὶ κάλλιστα ἔχουσα, ἣ ἂν καὶ τὸν ἰδιώτην πείθῃ καὶ τὸν πεπαιδευμένον, τὸν μέν, ὡς κατὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς οὖσα, τὸν δέ, ὡς ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολλούς, καὶ ᾖ αὐτόθεν γνώριμος· ὁμοίως γὰρ ἄκαιρον καὶ γρῖφον νοεῖσθαι καὶ ἐπιστολὴν ἑρμηνεύεσθαι. 51.5 Τρίτον ἐστὶ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν, ἡ χάρις. Ταύτην δὲ φυλάξομεν, εἰ μήτε παντάπασι ξηρὰ καὶ ἀχάριστα γράφοιμεν καὶ ἀκαλλώπιστα, ἀκόσμητα καὶ ἀκόρητα, ὃ δὴ λέγεται, οἷον δὴ γνωμῶν καὶ παροιμιῶν καὶ ἀποφθεγμάτων ἐκτός, ἔτι δὲ σκωμμάτων καὶ αἰνιγμάτων, οἷς ὁ λόγος καταγλυκαίνεται· μήτε λίαν τούτοις φαι νοίμεθα καταχρώμενοι· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀγροῖκον, τὸ δ' ἄπληστον. 51.6 Καὶ τοσαῦτα τούτοις χρηστέον, ὅσα καὶ ταῖς πορφύραις ἐν τοῖς ὑφάσμασι. Τροπὰς δὲ παρα δεξόμεθα μέν, ὀλίγας δέ, καὶ ταύτας οὐκ ἀναισχύντους. Ἀντίθετα δὲ καὶ πάρισα καὶ ἰσόκωλα τοῖς σοφισταῖς ἀπορρίψομεν· εἰ δέ που καὶ παραλάβοιμεν, ὡς καταπαί ζοντες μᾶλλον τοῦτο ποιήσομεν ἢ σπουδάζοντες. 51.7 Πέρας τοῦ λόγου, ὅπερ τῶν κομψῶν τινος ἤκουσα περὶ τοῦ ἀετοῦ λέγοντος, ἡνίκα ἐκρίνοντο περὶ βασιλείας οἱ ὄρνιθες καὶ ἄλλος ἄλλως ἧκον ἑαυτοὺς κοσμήσαντες, ὅτι ἐκείνου κάλλιστον ἦν τὸ μὴ οἴεσθαι καλὸν εἶναι. Τοῦτο κἀν ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς μάλιστα τηρητέον τὸ ἀκαλλώ πιστον καὶ ὅτι ἐγγυτάτω τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν. 51.8 Τοσαῦτά σοι περὶ ἐπιστολῶν, ὡς δι' ἐπιστολῆς παρ' ἡμῶν· καὶ ταῦτ' ἴσως οὐ πρὸς ἡμῶν, οἷς τὰ μείζω σπουδάζεται· τἄλλα δ' αὐτός τε φιλοπονήσεις, εὐμαθὴς ὤν, καὶ οἱ περὶ ταῦτα κομψοὶ διδάξουσιν. 52.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 52.1 Ἐν μετοπώρῳ τὰ ἄνθη παρὰ τοῦ λειμῶνος αἰτεῖς καὶ γεγηρακότα ὁπλίζεις τὸν Νέστορα, ἐμέ τι νῦν ἀπαιτῶν δεξιὸν εἰς λόγους, ὃς πάλαι καὶ λόγου παντὸς καὶ βίου τὸ τερπνὸν καταλέλυκα. 52.2 Ὅμως δέ, (οὐ γὰρ Εὐρύσθειόν τινα τοῦτον ἆθλον ἐπιτάττεις ἡμῖν, οὐδὲ Ἡράκλειον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μάλα ἥμερον καὶ ἡμέτερον, τῶν ἐμῶν ἐπιστολῶν σοι συναγαγεῖν ὅσας οἷόν τε)· 20τῆ νῦν τοῦτον ἱμάντα20 ταῖς σαῖς 20ἐγκατάθου20 βίβλοις, οὐκ ἐρωτικόν, ἀλλὰ λογι κόν, οὐδ' ἐπιδεικτικὸν μᾶλλον ἢ χρήσιμον καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας αὐλῆς. 52.3 Ἄλλου μὲν γὰρ ἄλλο τι γνώρισμα, ἢ μικρὸν ἢ