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The Ruler of all has given us this also, the privilege of hearing of your great genius, and to rejoice with you who are so honored, and to rejoice with those who are ruled, being governed by such gentleness. But I thought it unjust to hide my cheerfulness in silence, and not to declare it in writing. For your magnificence is surely persuaded that we are ardent lovers of your magnificence, having received from you the returns of affection. And as such lovers, we beseech the giver of good things to encompass you always with his manifold gifts. 58 TO THE CONSUL NOMOS. The decision whether to write to your greatness divides my mind in two. For knowing that affairs depend on your mind, and seeing the common cares that are laid upon you, I think it better to be silent; but again, knowing the breadth and great capacity of your intellect, I cannot bear to be silent, fearing lest I incur a charge of laziness. A longing also spurs me on, which the brief taste of the sight of you has produced. For sickness and death deprived me of being filled with the sight of that thrice-blessed head. For which reason I devise for myself letters as a remedy for consolation. And I beseech the Master of all to guide your life, and to carry you ever with favorable winds, so that we may all enjoy your providence. 59 TO CLAUDIANUS. Neither separation of place has the power to dissolve sincere friendships, nor does time render them faded. For it ravages our bodies, and plunders their bloom, and brings on old age; but of friendship it increases the bloom, bringing more embers to it. For this reason I too, though many stages distant from your magnificence, write this letter of greeting, being pricked, clearly, by the goads of friendship. Patroinus the draconarius, a man most worthy of respect on account of the virtue of his soul, carries this letter; for he is eager to keep the divine laws with great zeal. Deign, therefore, most wonderful sir, to inform us through him of the health of your greatness, which is admirable to us, and of the thrice-desired fulfillment of your promise. 60 TO DIOSCORUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA. We hear that your holiness is adorned with many other forms of virtue—for winged fame, having run everywhere, has filled the ears of all with your good repute—; and not least do all sing of the moderation of your mind; which the Master, when legislating, set forth himself to us as an archetype, saying, *Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart*. For being by nature high, or rather the most high God, when he became man he embraced a gentle and humble mind. Looking to him, therefore, you do not see, master, the multitude of those who are ruled, nor the height of thrones, but you see nature, and the sudden turns of life, and you follow the divine laws, the keeping of which procures the kingdom of heaven. Hearing of this humility of your holiness, I take courage to embrace through letters your sacred and God-beloved head, and I profess prayers, the fruit of which is salvation. The most God-fearing presbyter Eusebius has become the occasion for this letter; for having learned of his journey to you, I immediately dictated the letter, asking your holiness to support us with prayers, and with letters the spiritual

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∆έδωκεν ἡμῖν τῶν ὅλων ὁ Πρύτανις καὶ τοῦτο, τῆς ὑμετέ ρας μεγαλοφυΐας ἀκοῦσαι τὸ γέρας, καὶ συνησθῆναι μὲν ὑμῖν οὕτω τετιμημένοις, συνησθῆναι δὲ τοῖς ἀρχομένοις ὑπὸ τοιαύ της ἰθυνομένοις πραότητος. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἄδικον ᾠήθην σιγῇ κρύψαι τὴν εὐθυμίαν, καὶ μὴ δηλῶσαι ταύτην τοῖς γράμμασιν. Ὅτι γὰρ θερμοὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας μεγαλοπρεπείας ὑπάρχομεν ἐρασταί, παρ' ὑμῶν τοῦ φίλτρου τὰς ἀμοιβὰς εἰληφότες, πέπεισται πάντως ἡ ὑμετέρα μεγαλοπρέπεια. Ὡς ἐρασταὶ δὲ τοιοῦτοι, τὸν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἱκετεύομεν χορηγὸν ταῖς παντοδαπαῖς αὑτοῦ δωρεαῖς περικλύζειν ὑμᾶς ἀεί. 58 ΝΟΜΩ ΥΠΑΤΩ. ∆ιχῆ μοι μερίζει τὴν γνώμην ἡ περὶ τοῦ γράψαι τῷ ὑμετέρῳ μεγέθει βουλή. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ ὑμετέρων φρενῶν εἰδὼς ἐξηρτη μένα τὰ πράγματα, καὶ τὰς κοινὰς ὑμῖν ἐπικειμένας φροντίδας ὁρῶν, ἄμεινον ἡγοῦμαι σιγᾶν· τὸ εὐρὺ δὲ πάλιν καὶ πολυχώρη τον τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐπιστάμενος διανοίας, σιωπᾶν οὐκ ἀνέχο μαι, δεδιὼς μὴ ῥᾳστώνης ὀφλήσω γραφήν. Κεντεῖ δέ με καὶ πόθος, ὃν ἡ βραχεῖα γεῦσις τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐνεποίησε θέας. Ἐμφορηθῆναι γάρ με ταύτης ἐστέρησε τῆς τρισμακαρίας ἐκείνης κεφαλῆς ἡ νόσος καὶ τελευτή. Οὗ δὴ χάριν ἐπινοῶ μοι φάρμακον ψυχαγωγίας τὰ γράμματα. Τὸν δὲ τῶν ὅλων ἱκετεύω ∆εσπότην, ἰθύνειν ὑμῶν τὸν βίον, καὶ φέρειν ἐξ οὐρίων ἀεί, ἵνα τῆς ὑμετέρας προμηθείας ἀπολαύσωμεν ἅπαντες. 59 ΚΛΑΥ∆ΙΑΝΩ. Τὰς εἰλικρινεῖς φιλίας οὔτε τοπικὴ διάστασις διαλύειν ἰσχύει, οὔτε χρόνος ἐξιτήλους ἐργάζεται. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ σώ μασι λυμαίνεται, καὶ τὸ μὲν ἄνθος ἀποσυλᾷ, τὸ δὲ γῆρας ἐπάγει· τῆς δέ γε φιλίας αὔξει τὸ ἄνθος, πλείονα προσφέρων τὰ ζώπυρα. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο κἀγὼ πολλοῖς σταθμοῖς τῆς σῆς μεγαλοπρεπείας ἀφεστηκώς, τὴν προσρητικὴν ταύτην ἐπιστο λὴν γράφω, τοῖς τῆς φιλίας δηλονότι νυττόμενος κέντροις. Κομίζει δὲ ταύτην Πατρώϊνος ὁ δρακωνάριος, ἀνὴρ αἰδοῦς ἀξιώτατος διὰ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρετήν· τοὺς γὰρ θείους νόμους μετὰ πολλῆς φυλάττειν προθυμίας ἐπείγεται. Μηνῦσαι τοίνυν ἡμῖν δι' αὐτοῦ, θαυμασιώτατε, καταξίωσον τὴν ἀξιάγαστον ἡμῖν τοῦ σοῦ μεγέθους ὑγείαν, καὶ τὸ τριπόθητον τῆς ὑποσχέ σεως πέρας. 60 ∆ΙΟΣΚΟΡΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΙΑΣ. Πολλοῖς μὲν καὶ ἄλλοις εἴδεσιν ἀρετῆς κοσμεῖσθαι τὴν σὴν ἁγιωσύνην ἀκούομεν-ὑπόπτερος γὰρ ἡ φήμη πάντοσε δια δραμοῦσα τῆς σῆς εὐκλείας τὰς ἁπάντων ἐνέπλησεν ἀκοάς-· οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ ἅπαντες ᾄδουσι τὸ τοῦ φρονήματος μέτριον· ὃ νομοθετῶν ὁ ∆εσπότης ἑαυτὸν ἡμῖν ἀρχέτυπον προὔθηκεν, Μάθετε , λέγων, ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπει νὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ . Φύσει γὰρ ὢν ὑψηλός, μᾶλλον δὲ ὕψιστος Θεός, τὸ πρᾶον καὶ ταπεινὸν ἐνανθρωπήσας ἠσπάσατο φρό νημα. Εἰς αὐτὸν οὖν ἀφορῶν, οὐχ ὁρᾷς, δέσποτα, τῶν ἀρχο μένων τὸ πλῆθος, οὐδὲ τῶν θρόνων τὸ ὕψος, ἀλλὰ τὴν φύσιν βλέπεις, καὶ τὰς ἀγχιστρόφους τοῦ βίου μεταβολάς, καὶ τοῖς θείοις νόμοις ἀκολουθεῖς, ὧν ἡ φυλακὴ προξενεῖ τῶν οὐρανῶν τὴν βασιλείαν. Ταύτην σου τῆς ὁσιότητος τὴν ταπεινοφροσύ νην ἀκούων, θαρρῶ διὰ γραμμάτων τὴν ἱεράν σου καὶ Θεῷ φίλην περιπτύξασθαι κεφαλήν, καὶ προσευχὰς ἐπαγγέλλω, ὧν ὁ καρπὸς σωτηρία. Πρόξενος δέ μοι τούτων γεγένηται τῶν γραμμάτων ὁ θεοσεβέστατος πρεσβύτερος Εὐσέβιος· τὴν αὐ τόσε γὰρ ἀποδημίαν αὐτοῦ μαθών, παραυτίκα τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ὑπηγόρευσα, παρακαλῶν σου τὴν ἁγιότητα, ταῖς μὲν εὐχαῖς ἡμᾶς ὑπερεῖσαι, τοῖς δὲ γράμμασι τὴν πνευματικὴν