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83.1 My acquaintance with your nobility and face-to-face meeting has been very brief, but my knowledge of you from hearsay, through which we become acquainted with many illustrious men, is neither small nor contemptible. If you too have some account of me from rumor, you yourself would know better. My opinion of you, then, is such as I have said. And since God has called you to a matter that displays philanthropy, through which it is possible for our fatherland, which has been utterly razed to the ground, to be set right, I think it fitting for me to remind your goodness, so that in hope of recompense from God you may deem yourself worthy to show yourself such a one as to be deemed worthy of undying memory, and to become an heir of eternal rest by making the afflictions lighter for those who are hard-pressed. And since I too have a possession near Chamanene, I ask you to take charge of it as your own. Do not be surprised, if I speak of my friends' property as my own, having learned, along with other virtues, friendship as well, and remembering the one who wisely said: “A friend is another self.” Therefore, this property belonging to this man, I entrust to your honor as my own, and I entreat you, after examining the difficulties of the household, to grant them some relief for times past and for the future to make their dwelling desirable for them, which is now shunned and forbidden due to the magnitude of the tax imposed upon it. And I myself, when I meet with your excellency, will endeavor to discuss each matter more fully.

84.τ TO THE GOVERNOR

84.1 What I am about to write is almost unbelievable, but it will be written of the truth

for the sake that, though I had every desire, as was possible, to converse most frequently with your good self, when I found this occasion for writing, I did not seize upon the godsend, but shrank back and hesitated. The paradox in this, then, is that what I prayed might happen, I did not accept when it came to pass. The reason is that I am ashamed to seem to be writing each time not purely for the sake of friendship, but to serve some need. But that thought occurred to me (and I want you to consider it too, so that you might not think we conduct our correspondence commercially rather than in a friendly way), that one's addresses to rulers must have something different from those to private citizens. For we must not approach a physician and an ordinary person in the same way, nor, clearly, a ruler and a private citizen, but we must try to benefit from the one through his art, and from the other through his authority for our own affairs. Just as a shadow always follows those who walk in the sun, even if they do not choose it, so also in conversations with rulers there follows a certain by-product, the helping of the distressed. Let the primary reason for the letter, then, be fulfilled by the very act of addressing your magnanimity; which, even if no other pretext for writing were present, should be considered a good thing in itself. Receive our greeting, then, O best of men, and may you be preserved throughout your life, changing from one office to another and at different times benefiting different people with your administrations. For this is customary for me to do, and is owed to you by those who have even a little experience of your virtue in governing. 84.2 After the prayer, receive also the supplication on behalf of the wretched old man, whom an imperial letter has released from public duties, or rather, even before the Emperor, old age itself has given him the necessary exemption. And you yourself have confirmed the favor from above, out of respect for nature and care for public affairs, it seems to me, so that public interests would not be endangered by a man whose mind is failing because of his age. But how is it that you have now brought him back into the midst by another route, O admirable man? For by ordering his grandson, who is not yet in his fourth year since birth, to be a member of the council, what else but the

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83.1 Ἐμοὶ πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐγένειαν συνήθεια μὲν καὶ ἡ κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς συντυχία πάνυ βραχεῖα γέγονε, γνῶσις δὲ ἡ ἐξ ἀκοῆς, δι' ἧς πολλοῖς συναπτόμεθα τῶν ἐπιφανῶν, οὐκ ὀλίγη τε οὐδὲ εὐκαταφρόνητος. Εἰ δὲ καί σοί τις ἐκ τῆς φήμης περὶ ἡμῶν ὑπάρχει λόγος, αὐτὸς ἂν εἰδείης ἄμεινον. Τὸ δ' οὖν σὸν παρ' ἡμῖν τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν οἷον εἴπομεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκάλεσέ σε ὁ Θεὸς εἰς πρᾶγμα φιλανθρωπίας ἐπίδειξιν ἔχον, δι' οὗ δυνατόν ἐστι διορθωθῆναι ἡμῶν τὴν πατρίδα παντελῶς ἐδαφισθεῖσαν, ἡγοῦμαι πρέπειν μοι ὑπομνῆσαί σου τὴν χρηστότητα, ἵνα ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τῆς παρὰ Θεοῦ ἀνταποδόσεως τοιοῦτον σεαυτὸν καταξιώσῃς παρασχέσθαι ὥστε ἀθανάτου μὲν τῆς μνήμης ἀξιοῦσθαι, γενέσθαι δὲ αἰωνίων ἀναπαύσεων κληρονόμον ἐκ τοῦ ἐλαφροτέρας ποιῆσαι τοῖς καταπο νουμένοις τὰς θλίψεις. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ κἀμοί τίς ἐστι κτῆσις περὶ Χαμανηνήν, ἀξιῶ σε προστῆναι αὐτῆς ὡς οἰκείας. Μὴ θαυμάσῃς δέ, εἰ ἐμαυτοῦ λέγω τὰ τῶν φίλων, μετὰ τῆς ἄλλης ἀρετῆς καὶ φιλίαν πεπαιδευμένος καὶ μεμνημένος τοῦ σοφῶς εἰπόντος· «Ἄλλον ἑαυτὸν εἶναι τὸν φίλον.» Τὴν τοίνυν κτῆσιν τὴν διαφέρουσαν τῷδε, ταύτην ὡς ἐμαυτοῦ παρατίθεμαι τῇ τιμιότητί σου, καὶ παρακαλῶ, ἐπισκεψάμενον τὰ τῆς οἰκίας δυσχερῆ, δοῦναι αὐτοῖς καὶ τῶν παρελθόντων χρόνων παραμυθίαν καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον αἱρετὴν αὐτοῖς κατασκευάσαι τὴν οἴκησιν, τὴν φευκτὴν καὶ ἀπηγορευμένην διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς ἐπικειμένης αὐτῇ συντελείας. Σπουδάσω δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς περιτυχών σου τῇ κοσμιότητι ἐντελέστερον περὶ ἑκάστου διαλεχθῆναι.

84.τ ΗΓΕΜΟΝΙ

84.1 Σχεδὸν μὲν ἄπιστόν ἐστιν ὃ μέλλω γράφειν, γεγράψεται δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας

ἕνεκεν ὅτι, πᾶσαν ἔχων ἐπιθυμίαν, ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν, πυκνότατα διαλέγεσθαί σου τῇ καλοκαγαθίᾳ, ἐπειδὴ εὗρον ταύτην τῶν γραμμάτων τὴν ἀφορμήν, οὐκ ἐπέδραμον τῷ ἑρμαίῳ, ἀλλ' ἀπώκνησα καὶ ἀνεδύην. Τὸ οὖν παράδοξον ἐν τούτῳ ὅτι, ἅπερ ηὐχόμην ὑπάρξαι, ταῦτα γενόμενα οὐκ ἐδεχόμην. Αἴτιον δὲ ὅτι αἰσχύνομαι δοκεῖν μὴ φιλίας ἕνεκεν καθαρῶς, ἀλλὰ χρείαν τινὰ θεραπεύων ἑκάστοτε γράφειν. Ἀλλά με εἰσῆλθεν ἐκεῖνο (ὃ καὶ σὲ βούλομαι διανοηθέντα μή τοι νομίζειν ἡμᾶς ἐμπορικῶς μᾶλλον ἢ φιλικῶς ποιεῖσθαι τὰς διαλέξεις), ὅτι χρή τι διάφορον ἔχειν τὰς τῶν ἀρχόντων προσρήσεις παρὰ τοὺς ἰδιώτας. Οὐ γὰρ ὁμοίως ἐντευκτέον ἡμῖν ἰατρῷ τε ἀνδρὶ καὶ τῷ τυχόντι, οὔτε ἄρχοντι, δηλονότι, καὶ ἰδιώτῃ, ἀλλὰ πειρατέον τοῦ μὲν ἐκ τῆς τέχνης, τοῦ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἀπολαύειν εἰς τὰ ἡμέτερα. Ὥσπερ οὖν τοῖς ἐν ἡλίῳ βαδίζουσιν ἕπεται πάντως ἡ σκιά, κἂν αὐτοὶ μὴ προέλων ται, οὕτω καὶ ταῖς πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας ὁμιλίαις ἀκολουθεῖ τι καὶ παρεμπόρευμα, ἡ τῶν καμνόντων βοήθεια. Τὴν μὲν οὖν πρώτην αἰτίαν τῆς ἐπιστολῆς πληρούτω αὐτὸ τὸ προσειπεῖν σου τὴν μεγαλόνοιαν· ὅ, κἂν μηδεμία πρόφασις τῷ γράφειν προσῇ, ἀγαθὸν κεφάλαιον αὐτὸ χρὴ νομίζεσθαι. Προσείρησο τοίνυν ἡμῖν, ὦ ἄριστε, καὶ φυλάττοιο τῷ βίῳ παντί, ἀρχὰς ἐξ ἀρχῶν ἀμείβων καὶ ἄλλοτε ἄλλους ταῖς ἐπιστασίαις εὐεργετῶν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐμοί τε ποιεῖν σύνηθες καὶ σοὶ ὀφειλόμενον παρὰ τῶν καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν πεπειραμέ νων τῆς περὶ τὸ ἄρχειν σου ἀρετῆς. 84.2 Μετὰ δὲ τὴν εὐχὴν δέξαι καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀθλίου γέροντος ἱκεσίαν, ὃν ἀφῆκε μὲν τῶν δημοσίων γράμμα βασιλικόν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ Βασιλέως αὐτὸ τὸ γῆρας ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀναγκαίαν ἀτέλειαν. Ἐβεβαίωσας δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν ἄνωθεν χάριν αἰδοῖ τῆς φύσεως καὶ προμηθείᾳ τῶν δημοσίων, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν, ὡς ἂν μὴ ἀνθρώπῳ παρανοοῦντι διὰ τὸν χρόνον κινδυνεύοι τι τῶν κοινῶν. ∆ι' ἑτέρας δὲ ὁδοῦ πάλιν πῶς αὐτὸν ἔλαθες, ὦ θαυμάσιε, παραγαγὼν εἰς τὸ μέσον; Τὸν γὰρ ὑϊδοῦν αὐτοῦ, οὔπω τέταρτον ἔτος ἀπὸ γενέσεως ἄγοντα, κελεύσας τοῦ βου λευτηρίου μετέχειν, τί ἄλλο καὶ οὐχὶ τὸν