102

we are grateful; for I know well that you have suffered this not from neglect, but from being exceedingly modest. Therefore, show henceforth with confidence your love for us, sending us snowstorms of letters, telling us about your health. For if we should receive such 52.735 letters, even if we were carried off to the very ends of the inhabited world, even to a place more desolate than this one, we shall reap great consolation from your love. For nothing is so able to lift up the soul, and establish it in great pleasure, as to love and be loved genuinely. And you yourself know this most of all, since you most of all know how to love. 224. To Marcian and Marcellinus. What is this? Though you love us so—for your love has not escaped our notice even though we are situated at so great a distance from you, because it is so vehement and fiery—have you deigned to be silent, and not written to us even once, but have made the matter a riddle to us? For the excuse you wrote when sending a letter to my lord, the most reverend presbyter Constantius, is not sufficient. But still, I am not hair-splitting. But let it be so, and let this be established as the reason for the silence; behold, even this has been taken away from you, and we have been the first to hasten to you with a letter, both acknowledging our thanks for the genuine love which you maintain in such a flourishing state for us, and exhorting you, whenever it is possible, to write to us continually. For I have no doubt that you would not have hesitated to come here, if the aforementioned hindrances from your decorum had not existed; rather, in spirit you have already come. But since it is not for the time being possible to fulfill this in deed, provide us the consolation that comes from letters, announcing the good news concerning your health and that of your whole household. For if we should continually receive such letters from you, even if we were sitting in a harsher wilderness than this, we would reap great consolation from your letters. 225. To Constantius the Presbyter. I was amazed how, being such a vehement lover of ours, and prepared to do and say and suffer everything for us—for this has not escaped us; for it is not possible for one who loves genuinely to be hidden—you have not written to us even once, and this when we have come near you, and my honored and most glorious brother Libanius has arrived here. And I say these things not accusingly, but in pain. For since I am exceedingly disposed toward your reverence, for no other reason than that you take care of your soul with all zeal, and you are a common harbor for those in need, relieving poverty, setting right widowhood, supporting orphanhood, being a common father to all, for this reason I love you exceedingly, and desire to receive letters from your reverence. Grant us this favor, then, and fulfill our desire. For we shall reap no ordinary consolation, and this while living in a wilderness, if we receive letters from your desired soul and hand, reporting on your health, and that of your whole household. 220. To Marcian and Marcellinus. You have solved the riddle for us. For that the excuse then alleged was not sufficient for 52.736 an apology, you yourselves have now shown, by not waiting for a letter, and by being the first to hasten to write. For such is the nature of love; it does not endure to be silent, but even if it is about to be judged for boldness, it fulfills its own nature. And we are so far from blaming you for writing first, that we even crown you for this, and proclaim it, and now most of all have we known you to be our genuine lovers, not only from your writing, but also from your writing first. And God is able both to deliver you from your illness, and to bring you back to perfect health, and to grant much facility also for a meeting with us face to face; for even now we reap sufficient consolation from receiving letters from so genuine a soul; but we desire also that meeting, which may it be granted us to enjoy with all speed, so that we may celebrate a very great festival. 227. To Carteria. What do you say? Your continual illnesses did not permit you to come to

102

χάριν ἴσμεν· εὖ γὰρ οἶδ' ὅτι οὐκ ἐξ ὀλιγωρίας, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ σφόδρα μετριάζειν, τοῦτο πέπονθας. ∆είκνυε τοίνυν λοιπὸν μετὰ ἀδείας τὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀγάπην, νιφάδας ἡμῖν πέμπων ἐπιστολῶν, δηλούσας τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς. Ἢν γὰρ τοιαῦτα 52.735 δεξώμεθα γράμματα, κἂν πρὸς αὐτὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀπενεχθῶμεν τὰ τέρματα, κἂν εἰς ἐρημότερον τούτου χωρίον, πολλὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης ὑμῶν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω ψυχὴν ἀνέχειν δύναται, καὶ ἐν πολλῇ καθιστᾷν ἡδονῇ, ὡς τὸ φιλεῖν καὶ φιλεῖσθαι γνησίως. Καὶ τοῦτο οἶσθα μάλιστα πάντων αὐτὸς, ἐπειδὴ μάλιστα πάντων καὶ φιλεῖν οἶσθα. ΣΚ∆ʹ. Μαρκιανῷ καὶ Μαρκελλίνῳ. Τί τοῦτο; Οὕτως ἡμῶν ἐρῶντες οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκ τοσούτου καθημένους ὑμῶν διαστήματος ἔλαθεν ἡμᾶς ὁ ἔρως, διὰ τὸ σφοδρὸς εἶναι καὶ πεπυρωμένος, κατεδέξασθε σιγᾷν, καὶ οὐδὲ ἅπαξ ἡμῖν ἐπεστείλατε, ἀλλ' αἴνιγμα τὸ πρᾶγμα ἡμῖν πεποιήκατε; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀρκοῦσα πρόφασις, ἣν ἐγράψατε ἐπιστέλλοντες πρὸς τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν εὐλαβέστατον πρεσβύτερον Κωνστάντιον. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἀκριβολογοῦμαι. Ἀλλ' ἔστω τοῦτο οὕτως ἔχον, καὶ κείσθω τῆς σιγῆς ταύτην εἶναι τὴν αἰτίαν· ἰδοὺ καὶ αὐτὴ ὑμῖν ἀνῄρηται, καὶ πρότεροι τοῖς πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐπεπηδήσαμεν γράμμασι, χάριτάς τε ὑμῖν ὁμολογοῦντες τῆς γνησίας ἀγάπης, ἣν οὕτως ἀκμάζουσαν περὶ ἡμᾶς διατηρεῖτε, καὶ παρακαλοῦντες, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, καὶ ἐπιστέλλειν ἡμῖν συνεχῶς. Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ καὶ παραγενέσθαι ἐνταῦθα οὐκ ἂν ὠκνήσατε, εἰ μὴ τὰ εἰρημένα κωλύματα παρὰ τῆς κοσμιότητος ὑμῶν ἦν, οὐδὲν ἀμφιβάλλω· μᾶλλον δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης καὶ παρεγένεσθε. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἔργῳ πληρῶσαι τέως οὐκ ἔνι, τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων ἡμῖν παρέχετε παράκλησιν, τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας ὑμῶν καὶ τοῦ οἴκου παντὸς εὐαγγελιζόμενοι. Εἰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα δεξαίμεθα συνεχῶς παρ' ὑμῶν γράμματα, κἂν ἐν χαλεπωτέρᾳ ταύτης ἐρημίᾳ καθήμεθα, πολλὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν ὑμῶν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν. ΣΚΕʹ. Κωνσταντίῳ πρεσβυτέρῳ. Ἐθαύμασα πῶς οὕτω σφοδρὸς ἡμῶν ὢν ἐραστὴς, καὶ πάντα ποιεῖν καὶ λέγειν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καὶ πάσχειν παρεσκευασμένος οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἔλαθεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔνι γνησίως φιλοῦντα λαθεῖν, οὐδὲ ἅπαξ ἡμῖν ἐπέστειλας, καὶ ταῦτα πλησίον ἐλθοῦσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ τοῦ τιμίου μοι καὶ ἐνδοξοτάτου ἀδελφοῦ Λιβανίου ἐνταῦθα ἀφιγμένου. Καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ ἐγκαλῶν, ἀλλ' ἀλγῶν λέγω. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ σφόδρα διάκειμαι περὶ τὴν εὐλάβειαν ὑμῶν, δι' ἕτερον μὲν οὐδὲν, ὅτι δέ σου τῆς ψυχῆς φροντίδα ποιεῖς μετὰ πάσης τῆς σπουδῆς, καὶ λιμὴν εἶ κοινὸς τῶν ἐν ἀνάγκαις ὄντων, πενίαν λύων, χηρείαν διορθούμενος, ὀρφανίαν ἀνέχων, κοινὸς πατὴρ ἁπάντων ὢν, τούτου χάριν σφόδρα σου ἐρῶν, καὶ γράμματα παρὰ τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας δέχεσθαι ἐπιθυμῶ. ∆ίδου δὴ ταύτην ἡμῖν τὴν χάριν, καὶ ἔμπλησον ἡμῶν τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν. Οὐ γὰρ τὴν τυχοῦσαν καρπωσόμεθα παράκλησιν, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν ἐρημίᾳ διατρίβοντες, ἂν τῆς ποθεινῆς σου καὶ ψυχῆς καὶ χειρὸς δεξώμεθα γράμματα, περὶ τῆς σῆς ἀπαγγέλλοντα ὑγείας, καὶ τοῦ οἴκου σου παντός. ΣΚʹ. Μαρκιανῷ καὶ Μαρκελλίνῳ. Ἐλύσατε ἡμῖν τὸ αἴνιγμα. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ ἤρκει εἰς 52.736 ἀπολογίαν ἡ ἐγκειμένη τότε πρόφασις, αὐτοὶ νῦν ἐδηλώσατε, μὴ δεξάμενοι γράμματα, καὶ πρότεροι τῷ γράφειν ἐπιπηδήσαντες. Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῆς ἀγάπης ἡ φύσις· οὐκ ἀνέχεται σιγᾷν, ἀλλὰ κἂν θρασύτητος μέλλῃ κρίνεσθαι, τὸ αὑτῆς πληροῖ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τοσοῦτον ἀπέχομεν τοῦ γράψασθαι ὑμᾶς διὰ τὸ προτέρους ἐπιστεῖλαι, ὅτι καὶ στεφανοῦμεν ὑπὲρ τούτου, καὶ ἀνακηρύττομεν, καὶ νῦν μάλιστα τοὺς γνησίους ἡμῶν ἔγνωμεν ἐραστὰς, οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ γράψαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προτέρους γράψαι. Ἱκανὸς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ὑμᾶς ἀπαλλάξαι, καὶ πρὸς καθαρὰν ὑγείαν ἐπαναγαγεῖν, καὶ δοῦναι εὐκολίαν πολλὴν καὶ τῆς κατ' ὄψιν ἡμῖν συνουσίας· ἱκανὴν μὲν καὶ νῦν καρπούμεθα παράκλησιν ἀπὸ γνησίας οὕτω ψυχῆς δεχόμενοι γράμματα· ἐπιθυμοῦμεν δὲ καὶ ἐκείνης τῆς συντυχίας, ἧς γένοιτο μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ τάχους ἡμᾶς ἀπολαῦσαι, ὥστε μεγίστην ἡμᾶς ἀγαγεῖν ἑορτήν. ΣΚΖʹ. Καρτερίᾳ. Τί φής; Αἱ συνεχεῖς ἀῤῥωστίαι οὐ συνεχώρησάν σοι παραγενέσθαι πρὸς