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all are benevolent toward one another; but this man joins in the attack on his fortune. For the house which fortune scarcely left to them, subject as it is to so many creditors, this he alone claims to take, though it exceeds his debt, when he ought either to bring in a buyer and receive his due from the whole price, or accept a part of it which will fulfill the measure of the debt. But he considers the present lack of buyers a godsend and is more bitter than fortune. But lend your tongue in alliance to the one in need, preparing for him a benevolent judge. And let the one who grieves him experience a just and gentler constraint than his own disposition, either to wait for a buyer or to take as much of the house as the debt requires, so that we may admire both you for the alliance and the judge for his verdict. 112 To Nonnus You indeed forsook your beloved, desiring greater things and hastening toward the priesthood; but I, who have always admired your beautiful hair, now fear it may become an obstacle to your zeal. For whenever you see the moment at hand and your celebrated locks about to fall, you will weep, I think, and go away fleeing the experience, and you will seek to appear as a handsome bridegroom instead of a priest. And again, if it so happens, you will court a maiden, and when the wedding is at hand, you will have your love leap over to the priesthood. But cease at last from being carried in a circle, with experience as your teacher, so that I may not again hear † of supposititious heirs and your eunuchs and all that has now instructed us. 113 To Hieronymus and Theodorus I have known your wisdom for a long time, shining forth everywhere in speech, and what sight did not provide, fame at least bestows, proclaiming with a common cry that your grandfather is celebrated for his teaching of the laws, your father for drawing the ear to the austerity of the laws with the grace of his tongue, and that from these men you bear everything which they, having gone before, shared in part. What therefore I first knew by report, now learning by experience, I said, "1Happy is the city in which such a revered family and son from father succeeds to the office; and happy are the children of fathers, all who have placed their life's hopes in you."2 But if only I were somehow able to be with you and be filled with your learning. But one's homeland is a great object of longing for men, and Odysseus is a witness, who passed by Calypso so that he might see Ithaca; and moreover it does not seem right to me to usurp another's place contrary to the principle of justice. Therefore, farewell, receiving my customary reverence. 114 To Hermeias Seeing your greatness through your letters to me, I naturally admired you for your sentiment, and I rejoice with the city of the Berytians that it has such a man put forward as to take thought for virtue and letters, and this when the time drives in the opposite direction. But may you profit from yourself, and may the city profit from your foresight. But for me it is a heavy thing to disregard my homeland, having taken an example from you. For if you devise everything to adorn the city that bore you, how could it be right for me not to do these things for which I praised you for doing? But also to insert myself into a place where another has been fortunate, I think, is foreign to a reasonable state of affairs. But may you have good fortune, O best of men, in your purpose toward me and the city itself. 115 To Orion I think it superfluous to write to a man who is henceforth dreaming of his return to us, so that he may sing the wedding hymn and become the bridegroom of a beautiful maiden; for it is just to bestow on a lover the praise of his beloved, because of whom, though absent in body, you leap with love in your heart and are eager to come to us, and the present tokens of worldly success are truly small to you, and the place of your childhood seems to you the only city and perhaps more august than Byzantium. And I fear that, with such a great flood of longing, you might suddenly set out for us without even saying goodbye to your friends, complaining of the length of the voyage. But this is said in jest; may you return at last with sober reasoning, hastening to the begetting of children. 116 To Anatolius Many and brilliant are the things that commend the young man to me. first and greatest, the letters of your piety, then a good father, from

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ἑνὸς πάντες φιλάν θρωποι· οὗτος δὲ τῇ τύχῃ συνεπιτίθεται. ἣν γὰρ μόλις αὐτοῖς οἰκίαν ὁ δαίμων κατέλιπε, τοσούτοις χρήσταις ὑποκειμένην, ταύτην μόνος λαβεῖν ἀξιοῖ, νικῶσαν τούτου τὸ χρέος, δέον ἢ τὸν ὠνούμενον ἄγειν καὶ τοῦ παν τὸς τιμήματος τὸ προσῆκον λαβεῖν, ἢ δέχεσθαι ταύτης μέρος ὃ τοῦ χρέους ἀναπληρώσει τὸ μέτρον. ὁ δὲ τὴν τῶν ὠνουμένων πρὸς τὸ παρὸν ἀπορίαν ἕρμαιον ἡγεῖται καὶ τῆς τύχης [ἐστὶ] πικρότερος. ἀλλὰ δίδου τῷ δεομένῳ πρὸς συμμαχίαν τὴν γλῶτταν, τὸν δικαστὴν αὐτῷ παρασκευάζων φιλάν θρωπον. ὁ δὲ λυπῶν αὐτὸν πειράσθω δικαίας ἀνάγκης καὶ τῆς αὑτοῦ γνώ μης ἡμερωτέρας, ἢ περιμένειν τὸν ὠνησόμενον ἢ τῆς οἰκίας μέρος ὅσον ἀπαιτεῖ τὸ χρέος λαβεῖν, ὅπως θαυμάσωμεν καὶ σὲ τῆς συμμαχίας καὶ τῆς ψήφου τὸν δικαστήν. 112 Νόννωι Σὺ μὲν ὑμῖν τὴν ἐρωμένην ἠρνήσω, τὰ μείζω ποθῶν καὶ πρὸς ἱερωσύνην κατεπειγόμενος· ἐγὼ δέ σου τὴν καλὴν κόμην θαυμάσας ἀεί, νῦν δέδοικα μή σου παρεμποδὼν γένηται τῇ προθυμίᾳ. ἐπειδὰν γὰρ ἴδῃς παρόντα τὸν καιρὸν καὶ τὰς ᾀδομένας τρίχας μελλούσας πεσεῖν, δακρύσας, οἶμαι, τὸ πάθος οἰχήσῃ φυγών, καὶ ζητήσεις ἀνθ' ἱερέως νυμφίος ὀφθῆναι καλός. καὶ πάλιν, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, μνηστεύσεις κόρην, καὶ τοῦ γάμου παρόντος πρὸς ἱερωσύνην σχήσεις μεταπηδῶντα τὸν ἔρωτα. ἀλλὰ παῦσαί ποτε κύκλῳ φερό μενος, τὴν πεῖραν ἔχων διδάσκαλον, ἵνα μὴ πάλιν † μὴ γνῶν ὑποβόλων καὶ σῶν σπαδίκων ἀκούσω καὶ ὅσα νῦν ἡμᾶς ἐξεπαίδευσεν. 113 Ἱερωνύμωι καὶ Θεοδώρωι Τὴν ὑμετέραν σοφίαν ἔγνων μὲν καὶ πάλαι πανταχοῦ τῷ λόγῳ προ λάμπουσαν, καὶ ὃν ἡ θέα μὴ παρέσχεν, ἥ γε φήμη χαρίζεται, κοινῷ βοῶσα κηρύγματι τὸν πάππον ὑφηγήσει νόμων ἐπιγραφόμενον, τὸν πατέρα γλώτ της χάριτι πρὸς τὴν τῶν νόμων αὐστηρίαν τὴν ἀκοὴν ὑποσύροντα, καὶ ἐκ τούτων ὑμᾶς πάντα φέροντας, ἅπερ ἐκεῖνοι προλαβόντες ἐκ μέρους ἐνεί μαντο. ὃν οὖν ἔγνων πρῶτον τῷ λόγῳ, νῦν τῇ πείρᾳ μαθών "1εὐδαίμων"2 ἔφην "1ἡ πόλις ἐν ᾗ γένος οὕτω σεμνὸν καὶ παῖς ἐκ πατρὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν δια δέχεται· εὐδαιμόνων δὲ πατέρων παῖδες, ὅσοι τοῦ βίου τὰς ἐλπίδας ἐφ' ὑμῖν ἐποιήσαντο"2. ἀλλ' εἴθε πως ἐδυνάμην συνεῖναι καὶ τῆς σῆς ἐμφορεῖσθαι παιδεύσεως. ἀλλὰ μέγα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις εἰς πόθον ἐστὶν ἡ πατρίς, καὶ μάρ τυς Ὀδυσσεὺς τὴν Καλυψὼ παριδών, ἵνα τὴν Ἰθάκην θεάσηται· πρὸς δὲ οὐ θεμιτὸν εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ τόπον ἀλλότριον παρὰ τὸν τοῦ δικαίου σφετερίσα σθαι λόγον. τοιγαροῦν σώζοισθέ μοι τὰ συνήθη παρ' ἐμοῦ προσκυνούμενοι. 114 Ἑρμείαι Τὸ ὑμέτερον μέγεθος διὰ τῶν πρὸς ἐμὲ γραμμάτων ἰδὼν ὑμᾶς μὲν εἰκότως τῆς γνώμης ἐθαύμασα, τῇ δὲ Βηρυτίων συνήδομαι πόλει εἰ τοιοῦτον ἔχει προβεβλημένον, ὡς ἀρετῆς καὶ λόγων ποιεῖσθαι φροντίδα, καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ καιροῦ τὴν ἐναντίαν ἐλαύνοντος. ἀλλ' ὄναιο καὶ σὺ σαυτοῦ καὶ τῆς σῆς προνοίας ἡ πόλις. ἐμοὶ δὲ βαρὺ πατρίδος ὑπερορᾶν ἐξ ὑμῶν λαβόντι παρά δειγμα. εἰ γὰρ ὑμεῖς πάντα μηχανᾶσθε κοσμεῖν τὴν ἐνεγκοῦσαν οἰόμενοι, πῶς ἂν ἔχοι καλῶς ἐμοὶ μὴ ταῦτα ποιεῖν ἐφ' οἷς ὑμᾶς ἐπῄνεσα πράττοντας; ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰσποιεῖν ἐμαυτὸν εἰς τόπον ὃν εὐτύχησεν ἕτερος, τῆς λογικῆς καταστάσεως ἀλλότριον εἶναι δοκῶ. ἀλλ' εὐτυχοίης, ὦ ἄριστε, τῆς εἰς ἐμὲ καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτὴν προαιρέσεως. 115 Ὠρίωνι Περιττὸν οἶμαι γράφειν πρὸς ἄνδρα τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς λοιπὸν ὀνειροπολοῦντα καταγωγήν, ὅπως ᾄσῃ τὸν ὑμέναιον καὶ γένηται νυμφίος παρθένου καλῆς· δίκαιον γὰρ ἐρῶντι χαρίσασθαι τῆς ἐρωμένης τὸν ἔπαινον, δι' ἣν ἀπὼν τῷ σώματι ἐρωτικὰ τῇ καρδίᾳ πηδᾷς καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀνεπτόησαι, καὶ τὰ παρ όντα σοι μικρὰ τῆς παρ' ἀνθρώποις εὐδαιμονίας ὄντως γνωρίσματα, μόνη δέ σοι πόλις τὸ τῶν σῶν παιδιῶν χωρίον εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ τοῦ Βυζαντίου τάχα σεμνότερον. καὶ δέδοικα μὴ τοῦ πόθου πολλοῦ ῥεύσαντος μηδὲ τοῖς φίλοις χαίρειν εἰπὼν ἐξαίφνης στέλλῃ πρὸς ἡμᾶς, τοῦ πλοῦ τὸ μῆκος μεμ φόμενος. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν παιζόντων· ἐπανήκοις δέ ποτε σώφρονι λογισμῷ πρὸς παίδων γονὴν ἐπειγόμενος. 116 Ἀνατολίωι Πολλά μοι καὶ λαμπρὰ τὰ συνιστῶντα τὸν νέον. πρῶτον καὶ μέγιστον τῆς ὑμετέρας θεοσεβείας τὰ γράμματα, εἶτα πατὴρ ἀγαθός, ἐκ