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Therefore, fear nothing for us on this account; but rather that we may be harmed. 88. To Nectarius 88.1 The imperial statue ought to adorn the imperial city. For this reason, it holds you, as was fitting, as a treasure, with your virtues and your words and the other good things with which divine grace has worthily enriched you. 88.2 But us it has cast out far away and rejected as some kind of refuse and chaff and a wave of the sea. But since the things of friends are common, I for my part make your good fortune my own and consider that I share in both your glory and your other prosperity. 88.3 And you yourself must also share in the cares and circumstances here with your absent friends; 20and do not, having received the good part, keep it for yourself alone20, that saying of the tragedians, but also take your part of the labors with your friend, so that you may be altogether just, dealing justly and equally with friendship and with friends. 88.4 And may your good fortune remain with you longer, that you may also do more good; or rather, may it be inalienable and eternal for you, when you have passed from the prosperity here to that which is there. 89. To Bosporius 89.1 I respect the industriousness of your calling. But I would be more ashamed of myself if I did not write the truth. I fear that our affairs may also have an end; so ashamed am I of my grey hair and our common table and the labors from our youth, having less standing among you even than the worst, and being dishonored by those from whom I would have least expected it. 90. To Anysius 90.1 You ask how our affairs are. We shall answer with a story. The Athenians sent an embassy to the Lacedaemonians, he says, when they were ruled by tyrants; and the purpose of the embassy was to obtain some humane treatment for them from that quarter. 90.2 When they returned from the embassy, someone then asked: 'How did the Lacedaemonians treat you?' 'As slaves,' they said, 'very well; but as free men, very insolently.' 90.3 This, therefore, is what I too have to write; for we fare more humanely than the desperate, but more grievously than those who are God's care. For my illness still troubles me, or rather, troubles me exceedingly, and friends who do evil and harm us as they can do not cease. 90.4 But pray that the Divine be gracious to us, and one of two things will happen: either we shall by all means escape our troubles, or we shall endure them. And this too is a reasonable lessening of misfortune.

91. To Nectarius 91.1 Our affairs are as they are; we are sitting here without war and without troubles, 20having honored the safe reward of silence20 above all things. And we are also getting some benefit from the quiet, having recovered sufficiently from our illness by the mercy of God. 91.2 But as for you, 20prosper and reign20, as the divine David says; and may the God who honored you administer your priesthood with you, granting that it be higher than all insolence. 91.3 And so that we may give proof of our confidence in each other and not suffer anything human while standing before God, I am sending this embassy to you, and do you give your assent readily to me. 91.4 We are concerned for our most genuine son Pancratius, doing this for many necessary reasons. Be willing to both receive him graciously and to introduce him to your more serious friends, so that he may attain his goal. 91.5 And the goal is to obtain leisure through some military service; since not one way of life is free from the insults of the wicked, as you yourself also know. 92. To Philagrius 92.1 How is your body? Or is the answer obviously short, as it would be? But concerning your soul, I will not ask how. For I know that it is very well indeed; since you philosophize nobly in the sufferings of your body, having accepted the matter as a touchstone of virtue and not an irregularity of matter, so that your suffering may be more blessed than the health of others. 92.2 You give also this sufficient proof of your philosophy, that you enjoin upon us such things and concerning such matters; which, though we might dare to write to others, yet to be at risk under you as judge is not safe. Nevertheless, we shall try not to speak against your command. 93. To Sophronius 93.1 Our retirement has something favorable for us, its freedom from business and its quiet; but not yet so much as is unfavorable, to be separated from you

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Μηδὲν οὖν δείσῃς περὶ ἡμῶν τούτου γε ἕνεκεν· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο μᾶλλον, μή τι βλαπτώμεθα. 88.Τ ΝΕΚΤΑΡΙΩΙ 88.1 Ἔδει τὸ βασίλειον ἄγαλμα τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν κοσμεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό σε μέν, ὡς ἔπρεπεν, ἐγκόλπιον ἔχει μετὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν καὶ τῶν λόγων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων καλῶν οἷς ἡ θεία σε χάρις ἀξιοπρεπῶς κατεπλούτισεν. 88.2 Ἡμᾶς δὲ μακρὰν ἀπεσκυβάλισε καὶ ἀπέρριψεν ὡσανεὶ συρφετόν τινα καὶ ἄχνην καὶ κῦμα θαλάσσιον. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ τὰ τῶν φίλων κοινά, κοινοποιοῦμαι μὲν ἔγωγε τὴν σὴν εὐπραγίαν καὶ τῆς τε δόξης μετασχεῖν ἡγοῦμαι καὶ τῆς ἄλλης εὐημερίας. 88.3 Κοινώνει δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὅσα δεῖ τῶν ἐνταῦθα φροντίδων καὶ περιστάσεων τοῖς σοῖς ἀποδήμοις· 20καὶ μὴ μόνος τὸ χρηστὸν ἀπολαβὼν ἔχε20, τοῦτο δὴ τὸ τῶν τραγῳδῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πόνων ἐν μέρει συναντι λαμβάνου τῷ φίλῳ, ἵνα καθόλου δίκαιος ᾖς, δικαίως καὶ ἴσως διαιτῶν φιλίᾳ καὶ φίλοις. 88.4 Καί σοι παραμένοι τὸ εὐπραγεῖν χρονιώτερον, ὡς καὶ εὖ δράσῃς πλεῖον, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀναφαίρετόν σοι προσείη καὶ ἀΐδιον μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν εὐημερίαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ διαβάντι. 89.Τ ΒΟΣΠΟΡΙΩΙ 89.1 Αἰδοῦμαί σου τῆς κλήσεως τὸ φιλόπονον. Αἰσχυνοίμην δ' ἂν πλέον ἐμαυτὸν μὴ τἀληθῆ γράφων. ∆έδοικα μὴ πέρας ἡμῖν ἔχῃ καὶ τὰ πράγματα· οὕτως αἰσχύνομαι τὴν ἐμὴν πολιὰν καὶ τὴν κοινὴν τράπεζαν καὶ τοὺς ἐκ νεότητος πόνους, ἔλαττον παρ' ὑμῖν ἔχων καὶ τῶν κακίστων καὶ ὑφ' ὧν ἥκιστα ἂν ᾠήθην ἀτιμαζόμενος. 90.Τ ΑΝΥΣΙΩΙ 90.1 Πῶς ἔχει τὰ πράγματα ἡμῖν ἐρωτᾷς. Μετά τινος ἱστορίας ἀποκρινούμεθα. Ἐπρέσβευον Ἀθηναῖοι πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους, φησίν, ἡνίκα ἐτυραννοῦντο· ἡ πρεσβεία δὲ ἦν γενέσθαι τι αὐτοῖς ἐκεῖθεν φιλάνθρωπον. 90.2 Ὡς δ' ἐπανῆκον ἐκ τῆς πρεσβείας, ἔπειτα ἤρετό τις· «Πῶς ὑμῖν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι; -Ὡς μὲν δούλοις, ἔφασαν, λίαν χρηστῶς· ὡς δὲ ἐλευθέροις, λίαν ὑβριστικῶς». 90.3 Τοῦτο οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς ἔχω γράφειν· πράττομεν γὰρ τῶν μὲν ἀπεγνωσμένων φιλανθρωπότερον, τῶν δὲ μελόντων Θεῷ φορτικώτερον. Ἥ τε γὰρ νόσος παραλυπεῖ ἔτι, μᾶλλον δὲ λίαν λυπεῖ, οἵ τε φίλοι κακοῦντες οὐκ ἀνιᾶσι καὶ τὰ δύνατα βλάπτοντες. 90.4 Ἀλλ' εὔχου τὸ Θεῖον εὐμενὲς ἡμῖν εἶναι, καὶ δυοῖν θάτερον ἢ φευξόμεθα τὰ δεινὰ πάντως ἢ καρτερήσομεν. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἐπιεικῶς συμφορᾶς ἐλάττωσις.

91.Τ ΝΕΚΤΑΡΙΩΙ 91.1 Τὰ μὲν καθ' ἡμᾶς ἔχει ὡς ἔχει· ἄνευ πολέμου καὶ

πραγμάτων καθήμεθα, 20σιωπῆς ἀκίνδυνον γέρας20 ἀντὶ πάντων τιμήσαντες. Καί τι καὶ ὠνάμεθα τῆς ἡσυχίας, ἐλέῳ Θεοῦ ἱκανῶς τῆς ἀρρωστίας ἀνενεγκόντες. 91.2 Σὺ δὲ 20κατευοδοῦ καὶ βασίλευε20, ὡς ὁ θεῖος ∆αυΐδ φησι· καί σοι συνδιέποι τὴν ἱερωσύνην ὁ τιμήσας Θεός, πάσης ἐπηρείας ὑψηλοτέραν ταύτην χαριζόμενος. 91.3 Ἵνα δὲ τοῦ θαρρεῖν ἀλλήλοις ἀπόδειξιν δῶμεν καὶ μή τι πάσχωμεν ἀνθρώπινον Θεῷ παριστάμενοι, ἐγὼ μὲν ταῦτα πρεσβεύω πρὸς σέ, σὺ δέ μοι προθύμως ἐπίνευσον. 91.4 Τοῦ γνησιω τάτου υἱοῦ ἡμῶν Παγκρατίου κηδόμεθα, πολλῶν ἕνεκεν ἀναγκαίων τοῦτο ποιοῦντες. Τοῦτον καὶ προσίεσθαι θέλησον εὐμενῶς καὶ συστῆσαι τῶν φίλων τοῖς σπου δαιοτέροις, ὥστε τοῦ σκοποῦ τυχεῖν. 91.5 Ὁ δὲ σκοπός, στρατείᾳ τινὶ τὴν ἀπραγμοσύνην λαβεῖν· ἐπεὶ μηδὲ εἷς βίος ἀνεπηρέαστος τοῖς πονηροῖς, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸς γινώσκεις. 92.Τ ΦΙΛΑΓΡΙΩΙ 92.1 Πῶς ἔχει σοι τὰ τοῦ σώματος; ἢ δηλονότι βραχὺς ὁ λόγος, ὅπως ἂν ἔχοι; Περὶ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς οὐκ ἐρήσομαι πῶς. Οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι καὶ λίαν καλῶς· ἐπειδὴ γενναίως ἐμφιλοσοφεῖς τοῖς πάθεσιν τοῦ σώματος, ὥσπερ βάσανον ἀρετῆς ἀλλ' οὐχ ὕλης ἀνωμαλίαν τὸ πρᾶγμα δεξάμενος, ἵν' ᾖ σοι τὸ κακοπαθεῖν τῆς τῶν ἄλλων ὑγείας μακαριώ τερον. 92.2 ∆ίδως καὶ ταύτην ἱκανὴν τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἀπόδειξιν, τὸ τοιαῦτα καὶ περὶ τοιούτων ἐπιτάσσειν ἡμῖν· ἃ κἂν ἄλλοις θαρρῶμεν γράφειν, ἀλλὰ τό γε ὑπὸ σοὶ κριτῇ κινδυνεύειν οὐκ ἀσφαλές. Πειρασόμεθα δ' ὅμως μὴ ἀντιλέγειν κελεύοντι. 93.Τ ΣΩΦΡΟΝΙΩΙ 93.1 Ἔχει τι δεξιὸν ἡμῖν ἡ ἀναχώρησις, τὸ ἄπραγμον καὶ ἡσύχιον· ἀλλ' οὔπω τοσοῦτον ὅσον σκαιόν, τὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας χωρίζειν