Ep. LI.

Of those who write letters, since this is what you ask, some write at too great a length, and others err on the side of deficiency; and both miss the mean, like archers shooting at a mark and sending some shafts short of it and others beyond it; for the missing is the same though on opposite sides.  Now the measure of letters is their usefulness:  and we must neither write at very great length when there is little to say, nor very briefly when there is a great deal.  What?  Are we to measure our wisdom by the Persian Schœne, or by the cubits of a child, and to write so imperfectly as not to write at all but to copy the midday shadows, or lines which meet right in front of you, whose lengths are foreshortened and which show themselves in glimpses rather than plainly, being recognized only by certain of their extremities?  We must in both respects avoid the want of moderation and hit off the moderate.  This is my opinion as to brevity; as to perspicuity it is clear that one should avoid the oratorical form as much as possible and lean rather to the chatty:  and, to speak concisely, that is the best and most beautiful letter which can convince either an unlearned or an educated reader; the one, as being within the reach of the many; the other, as above the many; and it should be intelligible in itself.  It is equally disagreeable to think out a riddle and to have to interpret a letter.  The third point about a letter is grace:  and this we shall safeguard if we do not write in any way that is dry and unpleasing or unadorned and badly arranged and untrimmed, as they call it; as for instance a style destitute of maxims and proverbs and pithy sayings, or even jokes and enigmas, by which language is sweetened.  Yet we must not seem to abuse these things by an excessive employment of them.  Their entire omission shews rusticity, but the abuse of them shews insatiability.  We may use them about as much as purple is used in woven stuffs.  Figures of speech we shall admit, but few and modest.  Antitheses and balanced clauses and nicely divided sentences, we shall leave to the sophists, or if we do sometimes admit them, we shall do so rather in play than in earnest.  My final remark shall be one which I heard a clever man make about the eagle, that when the birds were electing a king, and came with various adornment, the most beautiful point about him was that he did not think himself beautiful.  This point is to be especially attended to in letter-writing, to be without adventitious ornament and as natural as possible.  So much about letters I send you by a letter; but perhaps you had better not apply it to myself, who am busied about more important matters.  The rest you will work out for yourself, as you are quick at learning, and those who are clever in these matters will teach you.

[51] ΝΙΚΟΒΟΥΛΩΙ

Τῶν γραφόντων ἐπιστολὰς (ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῦτο αἰτεῖς), οἱ μὲν μακρότερα γράφουσιν ἤπερ εἰκός, οἱ δὲ καὶ λίαν ἐνδεέστερα: καὶ ἀμφότεροι τοῦ μετρίου διαμαρτάνουσιν, ὥσπερ τῶν σκοπῶν οἱ τοξεύοντες, ἄν τε εἴσω πέμπωσιν, ἄν τε ὑπερπέμπωσι: τὸ γὰρ ἀποτυγχάνειν ἴσον, κἂν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων γίνηται. Ἔστι δὲ μέτρον τῶν ἐπιστολῶν, ἡ χρεία: καὶ οὔτε μακρότερα γραπτέον, οὗ μὴ πολλὰ τὰ πράγματα, οὔτε μικρολογητέον, ἔνθα πολλά. 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 ἀπαντώσας, ὧν συνιζάνει τὰ μήκη καὶ παραφαίνεται μᾶλλον ἢ φαίνεται τῶν ἄκρων τισὶ γνωριζόμενα, καὶ ἔστιν, ὡς ἂν εἴποιμι καιρίως, εἰκασμάτων εἰκάσματα; Δέον, ἀμφοτέρων φεύγοντα τὴν ἀμετρίαν, τοῦ μετρίου κατατυγχάνειν. 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. 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 φαινοίμεθα καταχρώμενοι: τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀγροῖκον, τὸ δ' ἄπληστον. Καὶ τοσαῦτα τούτοις χρηστέον, ὅσα καὶ ταῖς πορφύραις ἐν τοῖς ὑφάσμασι. Τροπὰς δὲ παραδεξόμεθα μέν, ὀλίγας δέ, καὶ ταύτας οὐκ ἀναισχύντους. Ἀντίθετα δὲ καὶ πάρισα καὶ ἰσόκωλα τοῖς σοφισταῖς ἀπορρίψομεν: εἰ δέ που καὶ παραλάβοιμεν, ὡς καταπαίζοντες μᾶλλον τοῦτο ποιήσομεν ἢ σπουδάζοντες. 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 ἀκαλλώπιστον καὶ ὅτι ἐγγυτάτω τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν. 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.