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us? And yet you have come, and you are with us, and from your mind we have received everything, and you have no need of an apology for these things. For your warm and genuine love, which thus flourishes continually, is enough to be a great joy for us. But since you cast us into no ordinary care, by speaking of your illness, if indeed you should be delivered from it—for God is able to deliver you, and to restore you to pure health—let us know about it, so that we may be delivered from our care. For what I have always declared in writing, this I also declare now, that, wherever we may be, even if we should be carried off to a place more desolate than this, we do not cease to be concerned for you and your affairs. Such pledges of your warm and genuine love have you deposited with us, which can never be extinguished, nor wither with time; but whether we are near your nobility, or far away, we always preserve the same love, knowing the genuine and sincere character of your disposition, which we have enjoyed all the time. 28. To Theodore the physician. You yourself take refuge in the business of your affairs, and from there you weave an apology for not having come; but I think you have no need of these words. For you have come, and in terms of love you have nothing less than those who have arrived to us; for proclaiming you from our mind just like them, we write you among our first friends, and we are grateful to you, that though you have been with us for a little while, or perhaps not even a little, you show no less affection for us than those who were brought up with us for a long time. For these things we are very grateful to you, and we ask you to write to us continually. For we desire to see you present yourself; but lest we should wrong the many who need both 52.737 your hands and your tongue, and close up such a harbor for them, we do not dare to draw you here. But whenever it is possible, we ask you to write to us continually and to bring us the good news about your health. For thus even being far away we will reap great comfort, if we receive such letters from your excellency. 29. To Severa. I have never seen your nobility with bodily eyes, but with the eyes of love I have seen it more than anything; since, even if the distance between is great, it never obstructs this sight. For my most beloved lord Libanius, by describing to us the zeal of your nobility, which is for the orthodox faith, and your earnestness, has greatly uplifted us. Therefore, though we have never seen you, we have hastened first with a letter to your reverence, asking you also to write to us whenever it is possible. For if a letter should come from your excellency announcing to us the news about your health, and that of your whole house, we will reap the greatest comfort from it, even while living in a foreign land. For there is nothing equal to love. 30. To Elpidius the bishop. I have many thanks for my most beloved lord Libanius, because he set out from home, and came here, and has arrived again to your reverence, and for this especially I am grateful to him. For my whole endeavor is that you should enjoy all honor and service from everyone; not because you yourself need these things, but because this is beneficial to the Churches, both those in tempest and those not in tempest. Receive him therefore for his goodwill, my most honored and most God-loving master, and having learned everything from him with accuracy, both the things in Antioch, and our own affairs—for he will speak of these too, though he was with us for a short time, yet he has learned how we are faring—send him away rejoicing and glad. For he both hangs upon your piety, and is an ardent lover of us. Be pleased to greet from us my most beloved and most honored master Asyncritius the presbyter with his most beloved children, and all your clergy, whom you taught in a short time to imitate your affection for us. For not even this has escaped our notice, how much for us

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ἡμᾶς; Καίτοι παραγέγονας, καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν εἶ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης σου τὸ πᾶν ἀπειλήφαμεν, καὶ οὐδέν σοι ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀπολογίας δεῖ. Ἀρκεῖ γὰρ ἡ θερμή σου καὶ γνησία ἀγάπη, ἡ οὕτως ἀκμάζουσα διηνεκῶς, ἀντὶ πολλῆς εὐφροσύνης ἡμῖν γενέσθαι. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐκ εἰς τὴν τυχοῦσαν φροντίδα ἡμᾶς ἐνέβαλες, περὶ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας εἰποῦσα τῆς σῆς, εἴ γε ταύτης ἀπαλλαγείης ἱκανὸς γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἀπαλλάξαι σε, καὶ πρὸς ὑγείαν καθαρὰν ἐπαναγαγεῖν, ἐξ αὐτῆς ἡμῖν δήλωσον, ὥστε ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς φροντίδος. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἀεὶ γράφων ἐδήλωσα, τοῦτο καὶ νῦν δηλῶ, ὅτι, ὅπουπερ ἂν ὦμεν, κἂν εἰς ἐρημότερον τούτου χωρίον ἀπενεχθῶμεν, σὲ καὶ τὰ σὰ μεριμνῶντες οὐ διαλιμπάνομεν. Τοιαῦτα ἡμῖν ἐνέχυρα τῆς θερμῆς καὶ γνησίας σου ἀγάπης ἐναπέθου, ἅπερ οὐδέποτε σβεσθῆναι δύναται, οὐδὲ καταμαρανθῆναι τῷ χρόνῳ· ἀλλὰ κἂν πλησίον σου ὦμεν τῆς εὐγενείας, κἂν πόῤῥωθεν, ἀεὶ διαφυλάττομεν τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγάπην, εἰδότες τὸ γνήσιον καὶ εἰλικρινὲς τῆς διαθέσεώς σου, ἧς διαπαντὸς ἀπελαύσαμεν τοῦ χρόνου. ΣΚΗʹ. Θεοδώρῳ ἰατρῷ. Αὐτὸς μὲν εἰς τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀσχολίαν καταφεύγεις, καὶ ἀπολογίαν ἐντεῦθεν ὑφαίνεις τοῦ μὴ παραγενέσθαι· ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι οὐδὲν τούτων σε δεῖσθαι τῶν λόγων. Καὶ γὰρ παραγέγονας, καὶ τῶν ἀφικομένων πρὸς ἡμᾶς οὐδὲν ἔλαττον ἔχεις κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀγάπης λόγον· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς γνώμης σε ἀνακηρύττοντες ὁμοίως ἐκείνοις, εἰς τοὺς πρώτους σε τῶν φίλων γράφομεν, καί σοι χάριτας ἴσμεν, ὅτι ὀλίγα συγγενόμενος ἡμῖν, τάχα δὲ οὐδ' ὀλίγα, τῶν πολὺν ἡμῖν συντραφέντων χρόνον οὐκ ἐλάττονα περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπιδείκνυσαι ἔρωτα. ∆ιὰ ταῦτά σοι χάριτας ἴσμεν πολλὰς, καί σε παρακαλοῦμεν συνεχῶς ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλειν. Ἐπιθυμοῦμεν γὰρ αὐτὸν παρόντα σε θεάσασθαι· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ πολλοὺς ἀδικήσωμεν τοὺς καὶ 52.737 τῶν χειρῶν τῶν σῶν καὶ τῆς γλώττης δεομένους τῆς σῆς, καὶ τοσοῦτον αὐτοῖς προσχώσωμεν λιμένα, οὐ τολμῶμεν ἐνταῦθά σε ἑλκύσαι. Ἀλλ' ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, παρακαλοῦμεν συνεχῶς ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλειν καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς εὐαγγελίζεσθαι. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ὄντες πολλὴν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν, ἂν τοιαύτας δεχώμεθα παρὰ τῆς σῆς ἐμμελείας ἐπιστολάς. ΣΚΘʹ. Σευήρᾳ. Ἐγὼ μέν σου τὴν εὐγένειαν εἶδον οὐδέποτε σωματικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, τοῖς δὲ τῆς ἀγάπης πάντων μάλιστα ἐθεασάμην· ἐπειδήπερ, κἂν πολὺ τὸ μέσον ᾖ τῶν διαστημάτων, ταύτην οὐδέποτε διείργει τὴν θεωρίαν. Ὁ γὰρ κύριός μου ὁ ποθεινότατος Λιβάνιος ὑπογράφων ἡμῖν τὸν ζῆλον τῆς σῆς εὐγενείας, τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως, καὶ τὴν σπουδὴν, σφόδρα ἡμᾶς ἀνεπτέρωσε. ∆ιὸ καὶ μηδέποτέ σε ἑωρακότες, ἐπεπηδήσαμεν πρῶτοι τοῖς πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν γράμμασι, παρακαλοῦντες καὶ αὐτὴν ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλειν ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ. Εἰ γὰρ ἔλθοι παρὰ τῆς σῆς ἐμμελείας ἐπιστολὴ ἀπαγγέλλουσα ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας σου, καὶ τοῦ οἴκου σου παντὸς, μεγίστην, καὶ ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ διατρίβοντες, ἐντεῦθεν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν. Ἀγάπης γὰρ ἴσον οὐδέν. ΣΛʹ. Ἐλπιδίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ. Πολλὰς ἔχω χάριτας τῷ κυρίῳ μου τῷ ποθεινοτάτῳ Λιβανίῳ, ὅτι καὶ οἴκοθεν ἀνέστη, καὶ ἐνταῦθα παρεγένετο, καὶ πάλιν πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν ἀφίκετο, καὶ τούτῳ μάλιστα χάριτας αὐτῷ οἶδα. Ἐμοὶ γὰρ πᾶσα σπουδὴ, τιμῆς σε καὶ θεραπείας ἀπολαύειν ἁπάσης παρὰ πάντων· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ αὐτῷ σοὶ τούτων δεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο συμφέρει ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις, ταῖς τε χειμαζομέναις, ταῖς τε ἀχειμάστοις. Ἀποδεχόμενος τοίνυν αὐτὸν τῆς εὐνοίας, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε καὶ θεοφιλέστατε, καὶ πάντα παρ' αὐτοῦ μαθὼν μετὰ ἀκριβείας, τά τε ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ, καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα ἐρεῖ, ὀλίγον μὲν ἡμῖν συγγενόμενος χρόνον, μαθὼν δὲ ὅπως διάγομεν, ἔκπεμψον αὐτὸν χαίροντα καὶ εὐφραινόμενον. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τῆς θεοσεβείας ἐκκρέμαται τῆς σῆς, καὶ ἡμῶν σφοδρός ἐστιν ἐραστής. Τὸν δεσπότην μου τὸν ποθεινότατον καὶ τιμιώτατον Ἀσυγκρίτιον τὸν πεσβύτερον προσειπεῖν παρ' ἡμῶν παρακλήθητι μετὰ τῶν ποθεινοτάτων αὐτοῦ τέκνων, καὶ πάντα σου τὸν κλῆρον, ὃν ἐπαίδευσας ἐν βραχεῖ τὸν σὸν περὶ ἡμᾶς μιμεῖσθαι ἔρωτα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ἔλαθεν, ὅσην περὶ ἡμᾶς