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greatly admiring your virtue, how you have labored over these things, so as even through a letter to urge us to make all things clear to you concerning the capture of our city, 79.2 and I have judged it right to fulfill your request for no other reason, but so that you may have our own misfortune as a reminder of your friendship toward us, always goading you with painful things and sharpening you toward the zeal for good things. 79.3 For somehow it is the nature of the memory of painful things to lead the mind of the diligent to virtue, and the narration of dreadful events to produce spiritual security. 79.4 But do not, paying attention to the plainness of the writing, reject the benefit of its contents, but rather, considering that trustworthiness accompanies the unartful and unadorned style of what is said, be eager to repay us for this undertaking with prayers, propitiating the common Master either to avert the dreadful things from us or, for us who at least bear them steadfastly, to deem us worthy on the day of His righteous judgment of the reward for endurance.

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πάνυ θαυμάζων τὴν σὴν ἀρετήν, πῶς περὶ τούτων πεφιλοπόνηκας, ὡς καὶ διὰ γραμμάτων παρορμῆσαι ἡμᾶς δῆλά σοι πάντα ποιήσασθαι τὰ περὶ τῆς ἁλώσεως τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς πόλεως, 79.2 οὐχ ἕνεκεν δέ τινος ἄλλου τὴν σὴν ἀξίωσιν ἐκπληρῶσαι δίκαιον κέκρικα, ἀλλ' ἵν' ἔχῃς ὑπόμνημα τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς φιλίας τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς συμφοράν, ἀεί σε περικεντοῦσαν τοῖς ἀλγεινοῖς καὶ πρὸς τὸν ζῆλον τῶν καλῶν παραθήγουσαν. 79.3 πέφυκε γάρ πως ἡ μνήμη τῶν λυπηρῶν εἰς ἀρετὴν ἐνάγειν τῶν σπουδαίων τὸ φρόνημα, καὶ φοβερῶν πραγμάτων ἐξήγησις ψυχικὴν ἀσφάλειαν ἀπεργάζεσθαι. 79.4 ἀλλὰ μὴ τῇ ἰδιωτείᾳ προσέχων τῆς συγγραφῆς τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ προσόντων τὴν ὠφέλειαν διαπτύσῃς, τῷ ἀτεχνεῖ δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ ἀνεπιτηδεύτῳ τῶν λεγομένων τὸ πιστὸν συνακολουθεῖν ἐννοούμενος εὐχαῖς ἡμᾶς ἀμείψασθαι τῆσδε τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως προθυμήθητι, τὸν κοινὸν δεσπότην ἐξιλεούμενος ἢ παρενεγκεῖν ἡμῖν τὰ δεινὰ ἢ καρτερῶς γε φέροντας ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς αὐτοῦ δικαιοκρισίας τὸν τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἀξιῶσαι μισθόν.