56

by words, but by deeds; for the things in which one rejoices when they happen, these he also advises in silence. 192.5 If you do so, you will both benefit yourselves and you will have us as friends, and you will not betray the hopes of those who have trusted you. This is your reward for your labors on behalf of Nicobulus. And if we should receive a more perfect experience, we shall also give in return a more perfect praise than this. 193.T TO VITALIANUS 193.1 I am aware of your complaints even when you are silent. ‘We were celebrating a wedding,’ perhaps you will say, ‘and that of the golden Olympias, and your own, and a crowd of bishops was present; but you were absent from us, noble sir, either scorning us or hesitating.’ 193.2 Neither, O admirable man. But it was not possible, I think, for one suffering tragically to celebrate comically, and at the same time completely unseasonable and not fitting for a wedding, for two men with gout to be carried about and laughed at, in the midst of those who are leaping,—that we may also jest with you in a wedding-like manner. 193.3 But in will, at least, I am both present and celebrate with you and join the right hands of the young couple to each other, and both of them to the hand of God. For it is fitting, just as every other good thing for you, so also that the marriage should be for every best purpose and according to our common prayers. 194.T TO THE SAME 194.1 Behold, a second son-in-law for you; and you are getting rid of your sweet burden, and you are doing well. But we are idle, as you yourself might say; but as the true account has it, we are weak, not idle. 194.2 However, our affairs from God are well. For we have yielded the disturbances to others, but we shall enjoy philosophy, when you are gathered to God and become wholly of things above, held by no bond. 194.3 And now we contribute our prayers to the wedding, if we must offer you the finest gift. 195.T TO GREGORY THE GOVERNOR 195.1 I do not praise Hesiod because he called men of the same craft rivals; 20and potter is angry with potter20 (saying) 20and craftsman with craftsman20. For he does not envy so much as he runs to and embraces him, according to my account, and clings to him as a kinsman. And 20a singer20 to 20a singer20, all the more so inasmuch as their concern is with discourse. 195.2 Having experienced this myself toward your learning, if I were in such a state of body as to be able to minister to the impulses of my soul, no one would have been quicker than I to both run to you and embrace you and utter words of welcome. 195.3 But a cloud darkens the sun, and for me, sickness and this grudging bit of flesh and prison. Will you then accept my letter in place of my presence? Yes, you will accept it, being both learned and forgiving; I know this well and cannot just guess it. 195.4 And so that you may know how much I trust in your goodness, behold, I bring to you also an embassy that is very necessary for us, and by your friendship I ask for the things of friends. 195.5 I entrust to you my Nicobulus from my right hand, with his brothers, not to stand trial, but to receive justice, and their mother, an untimely widow, and a house that was once brilliant and conspicuous, as long as our great Nicobulus was alive, 195.6 but now is not even allowed to mourn because of the evils that have already sprung up and are expected, unless you assist and by your justice stand against the evil demon, and honor us, and respect humanity, and make your governorship brilliant for yourself through your kindness to us. 196.T TO ECHEBOLIUS 196.1 I will cry out something against myself; and pardon for the one in pain to utter the things of one in pain. O wicked and malevolent flesh, what evils you do to me, what things you work; a man is near whom it is necessary to pursue even when he is far away, both for the sake of his governing excellence and his other gentleness. 196.2 But you are in a bad state and almost immobile, and you allow others to partake of the good, while we are being deprived. Such, then, are the matters of the accusation. 196.3 But since it is not enough to merely lament what we suffer, but some remedy for the blow is also needed, we have found this: to take courage in this letter and to sketch out our presence in writing. 196.4 And if you also seek to do us good, abounding in goodness, we confidently bring forward a pitiable household worthy of philanthropy, a widow with

56

λόγοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς πράγμασιν· οἷς γάρ τις χαίρει γινομένοις, ταῦτα καὶ σιωπῶν συμβουλεύει. 192.5 Ἂν οὕτω ποιῆτε, ὑμᾶς τε αὐτοὺς ὀνήσετε καὶ ἡμᾶς φίλους ἕξετε καὶ οὐ ψεύσεσθε τὰς τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἐλπίδας. Οὗτός σοι τῶν ἐπὶ Νικοβούλῳ πόνων μισθός. Εἰ δὲ πεῖραν τελεωτέραν λάβοιμεν, τελεωτέραν καὶ τούτων ἀντιδώσομεν τὴν εὐφη μίαν. 193.Τ ΒΙΤΑΛΙΑΝΩΙ 193.1 Αἰσθάνομαί σου τῶν ἐγκλημάτων καὶ σιωπῶντος. «Γάμους εἱστιῶμεν», ἴσως ἐρεῖς, «καὶ ταῦτα τῆς χρυσῆς Ὀλυμπιάδος καὶ σῆς, καὶ παρῆν ἐπισκόπων ὅμιλος· σὺ δὲ ἀπῆς ἡμῖν, ὁ γεννάδας, ἢ ἀπαξιώσας, ἢ κατοκνήσας.» 193.2 Οὐδέτερον, ὦ θαυμάσιε. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν, οἶμαι, πράττοντα τραγικῶς, πανηγυρίζειν κωμικῶς, καὶ ἅμα παντελῶς ἄωρον καὶ οὐ γαμικόν, δύο ποδαλγοὶ περιφερόμενοι καὶ γελώμενοι, μέσοι πηδώντων, -ἵνα τί σοι καὶ προσπαίξωμεν γαμικῶς. 193.3 Ἐπεὶ τῷ γε βούλεσθαι καὶ πάρειμι καὶ συνεορτάζω καὶ τῶν νέων τὰς δεξιὰς ἀλλήλαις τε ἐμβάλλω καὶ ἀμφοτέρας τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πρέπει γάρ, ὥσπερ ἄλλο σοι πᾶν ἀγαθόν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὴν συζυγίαν ἐπὶ παντὶ βελτίστῳ γενέσθαι καὶ κατὰ τὰς κοινὰς ἡμῶν εὐχάς. 194.Τ ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ 194.1 Ἰδοὺ καὶ δεύτερός σοι γαμβρός· καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ φορτίον ἀποσκευάζῃ, καλῶς γε ποιῶν. Ἀργοὶ δ' ἡμεῖς, ὡς ἂν αὐτὸς εἴποις· ὡς δὲ ὁ ἀληθὴς λόγος, ἀσθενεῖς, οὐκ ἀργοί. 194.2 Πλὴν καλῶς ἡμῖν ἔχει τὰ ἐκ Θεοῦ. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ θορύβων ἄλλοις παρεχωρήσαμεν, τῆς φιλοσοφίας δὲ ἡμεῖς ἀπολαύσομεν, ἐπειδὰν Θεῷ συσταλῇς καὶ ὅλως τῶν ἄνω γένῃ, μηδενὶ δεσμῷ κατεχόμενος. 194.3 Καὶ νῦν δὲ τοῖς γάμοις συνεισφέρομεν τὰς εὐχάς, εἰ δεῖ δωροφορεῖν ὑμῖν τὸ κάλλιστον. 195.Τ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΩΙ ΑΡΧΟΝΤΙ 195.1 Οὐκ ἐπαινῶ τὸν Ἡσίοδον ὅτι τοὺς ὁμοτέχνους ἀντι τέχνους ὠνόμασεν· 20καὶ κεραμεὺς κεραμεῖ κοτέει20 (λέγων) 20καὶ τέκτονι τέκτων20. Οὐ γὰρ φθονεῖ μᾶλλον ἢ προστρέχει τε καὶ ἀσπάζεται, ὡς ὁ ἐμὸς λόγος, καὶ ὡς οἰκείου περιέχεται. 20Ἀοιδὸς20 δὲ 20ἀοιδῷ20 τοσούτῳ πλέον ὅσῳ καὶ λόγος ἐστὶ τούτοις τὸ σπουδαζόμενον. 195.2 Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς πεπονθὼς πρὸς τὴν σὴν λογιότητα, εἰ μὲν οὕτως εἶχον τοῦ σώματος ὥστε ταῖς τῆς ψυχῆς ὁρμαῖς ὑπουργεῖν δύνασθαι, οὐκ ἄν μέ τις ἔφθη καὶ προσδραμὼν καὶ περιπτυξάμενος καὶ τὰ ἐπιβατήρια προσφθεγξάμενος. 195.3 Ἀλλ' ἡλίῳ μὲν ἐπισκοτεῖ νέφος, ἐμοὶ δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀρρωστία καὶ τὸ φθονερὸν τοῦτο σαρκίον καὶ δεσμωτήριον. Ἆρα δέξῃ μου τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀντὶ τῆς παρουσίας; Ναί, δέξῃ, λόγιός τε ὢν καὶ συγγνώμων, εὖ οἶδα τοῦτο καὶ οὐκ εἰκάζειν ἔχω. 195.4 Καὶ ἵν' εἰδῇς ὅσον θαρρῶ τῇ σῇ καλο κἀγαθίᾳ, ἰδοὺ καὶ πρεσβείαν προσάγω σοι σφόδρα ἡμῖν ἀναγκαίαν, καὶ πρὸς τῆς σῆς φιλίας αἰτῶ τὰ τῶν φίλων. 195.5 Τὸν ἐμὸν Νικόβουλον ἀπὸ τῆς ἐμῆς δεξιᾶς ἐγχειρίζω σοι σὺν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς οὐ δώσοντα δίκην, ἀλλὰ ληψόμενον, καὶ χήραν ἄωρον τὴν τούτων μητέρα, καὶ οἰκίαν ἦν ὅτε λαμπρὰν οὖσαν καὶ ἀπόβλεπτον, ἕως περιῆν ὁ πολὺς ἡμῖν Νικόβουλος, 195.6 νῦν δὲ οὐδὲ πενθῆσαι συγχωρη θεῖσαν ἐκ τῶν ἤδη ἀναφυέντων κακῶν καὶ προσδοκω μένων, εἰ μή σοί τε παρασταίη καὶ τῇ σῇ δίκῃ στῆναι πρὸς τὸν πονηρὸν δαίμονα καὶ ἡμᾶς τιμῆσαι καὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον αἰδεσθῆναι καὶ λαμπρὰν σεαυτῷ ποιῆσαι τὴν ἀρχὴν διὰ τῆς εἰς ἡμᾶς εὐποιΐας. 196.Τ ΕΚΗΒΟΛΙΩΙ 196.1 Βοήσομαί τι κατ' ἐμαυτοῦ· καὶ συγγνώμη τῷ ἀλ γοῦντι τὰ τοῦ ἀλγοῦντος καὶ φθέγξασθαι. Ὦ σαρκίον πονη ρὸν καὶ κακόηθες, οἷά με κακὰ δρᾷς, οἷα ἐργάζῃ· ἐγγὺς ἀνὴρ ὃν καὶ πόρρω τυγχάνοντα μεταδιώκειν τῶν ἀναγκαίων, τῆς τε ἀρχικῆς ἀρετῆς εἵνεκα καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἡμερότητος. 196.2 Σὺ δὲ πονηρῶς ἔχεις καὶ σχεδὸν ἀκινήτως, καὶ περιορᾷς ἄλλους τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μεταλαμβάνοντας, ἡμᾶς δὲ ζημιου μένους. Τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς κατηγορίας τοιαῦτα. 196.3 Ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐξαρκεῖ τὸ ἀποδύρασθαι μόνον ἃ πάσχομεν, ἀλλὰ δεῖ καί τινος φαρμάκου πρὸς τὴν πληγήν, τοῦτο ἐξεύρομεν, τὸ θαρρῆσαι τῇ ἐπιστολῇ ταύτῃ καὶ τοῖς γράμμασι σκιαγραφῆσαι τὴν παρουσίαν. 196.4 Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ εὖ ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς ἐπιζητεῖς, βρύων τὸ ἀγαθόν, προσάγομεν θαρροῦντες οἰκίαν ἐλεεινὴν καὶ φιλανθρωπίας ἀξίαν, χήραν μετ'