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330.τ UNTITLED

330.1 That I love you, learn from what I write. That you hate me, I have learned from your silence.

But write at least in the future, loving your friends with reed and ink and a small piece of paper.

331.τ UNTITLED

331.1 It is pointless to write twice about the same things. For either the matter does not have a nature

for correction, and those who approach us trouble us in vain, or those who receive the letters disregard us and thus we are foolish in writing to those who are contemptuous. Since, therefore, you have already received a letter about the same thing, and we were compelled to write a second time, either correct it, if you have the power, or make known to us the reason why what was ordered has long not been done.

332.τ ANOTHER, UNTITLED

332.1 One sign of being alive is speech. For how could you be thought to be above the earth

having never uttered a sound? But cast off your silence by writing to us and showing yourself that you are indeed alive.

333.τ TO A NOTARY

333.1 Words by their nature are winged. For this reason they need signs,

so that the writer might capture their speed as they fly. You, therefore, O boy, make the characters complete and punctuate the places accordingly. For in a small error a long speech has gone astray, but by the care of the writer what is said is set right.

334.τ TO A CALLIGRAPHER

334.1 Write straight and use the lines straight and let not be raised on high

the hand, nor be brought down as if over cliffs. Neither force the reed to go sideways like the crab in Aesop, but proceed straight as if walking on a carpenter's rule which everywhere keeps things equal and removes all unevenness. For what is crooked is unseemly, but what is straight is pleasing to those who see it, not allowing the eyes of the readers to look up and down, like well-sweeps, just the sort of thing that happened to me when I came upon your letters. For since the lines were set like a ladder, when it was necessary to move from one to another, it was necessary to straighten up toward the end of the approaching line. In which, since the sequence was nowhere apparent, it was necessary to go back up again and to seek the order, retracing one's steps and following along the furrow, just as they say Theseus did with the thread of Ariadne. Write straight, therefore, and do not lead the mind astray by the sideways and crookedness of what is written.

335.τ BASIL TO LIBANIUS

335.1 I am ashamed to bring the Cappadocians to you one by one, and not to persuade all those of age to devote themselves to oratory and education and to use you as a teacher for their training. But since for all to obtain at once what is fitting for them by their own choice is not possible, I send along those who are from time to time persuaded

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330.τ ΑΝΕΠΙΓΡΑΦΟΣ

330.1 Ὅτι σε φιλῶ, οἷς ἐπιστέλλω μάθε. Ὅτι με μισεῖς, οἷς σιωπᾷς ἔγνων.

Γράφε δὲ κἂν τοῦ λοιποῦ, καλάμῳ καὶ μέλανι καὶ βραχεῖ χάρτῃ φιλοῦντας φιλῶν.

331.τ ΑΝΕΠΙΓΡΑΦΟΣ 331.1 Μάταιόν ἐστι δὶς περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιστέλλειν. Ἢ γὰρ φύσιν οὐκ ἔχει

διορθώσεως τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ μάτην ἡμῖν ἐνο χλοῦσιν οἱ προσιόντες, ἢ οἱ δεχόμενοι τὰς ἐπιστολὰς παρο ρῶσιν ἡμῶν καὶ οὕτω ματαιοφρονοῦμεν τοῖς καταφρονηταῖς ἐπιστέλλοντες. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἤδη περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐδέξω γράμ ματα, ἠναγκάσθημεν δὲ καὶ δεύτερον ἐπιστεῖλαι, ἢ διόρθω σαι, εἴ σοι δύναμις, ἢ γνώρισον ἡμῖν τὴν αἰτίαν δι' ἣν πάλαι οὐ γέγονε τὰ προστεταγμένα.

332.τ ΑΛΛΗ ΑΝΕΠΙΓΡΑΦΟΣ

332.1 Ἓν γνώρισμα τοῦ ζῇν ὁ λόγος. Πῶς γὰρ σὺ ὑπὲρ γῆς εἶναι νομισθείης

μηδέποτε φθεγξάμενος; Ἀλλ' ἄπωσαι τὴν σιωπήν σου γράψας ἡμῖν καὶ ἐμφανίσας σεαυτὸν ὅτιπερ ζῇς.

333.τ ΝΟΤΑΡΙΩ

333.1 Οἱ λόγοι τὴν φύσιν ὑπόπτερον ἔχουσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο σημείων χρῄζουσιν,

ἵνα ἱπταμένων αὐτῶν λάβῃ τὸ τάχος ὁ γράφων. Σὺ οὖν, ὦ παῖ, τὰ χαράγματα τέλεια ποίει καὶ τοὺς τόπους ἀκολούθως κατάστιζε. Ἐν γὰρ μικρᾷ πλάνῃ πολὺς ἡμάρτη ται λόγος, τῇ δὲ ἐπιμελείᾳ τοῦ γράφοντος κατορθοῦται τὸ λεγόμενον.

334.τ ΠΡΟΣ ΚΑΛΛΙΓΡΑΦΟΝ

334.1 Ὀρθὰ γράφε καὶ χρῶ τοῖς στίχοις ὀρθῶς καὶ μήτε ἐωρείσθω πρὸς ὕψος

ἡ χεὶρ μήτε φερέσθω κατὰ κρημνῶν. Μηδὲ βιάζου τὸν κάλαμον λοξὰ βαδίζειν ὥσπερ τὸν παρ' Αἰσώπῳ καρκίνον, ἀλλ' εὐθὺ χώρει ὥσπερ ἐπὶ στάθμης βαδίζων τεκτονικῆς ἣ πανταχοῦ φυλάττει τὸ ἴσον καὶ πᾶν ἀναιρεῖ τὸ ἀνώμαλον. Τὸ γὰρ λοξὸν ἀπρεπές, τὸ δὲ εὐθὺ τερπνὸν τοῖς ὁρῶσιν οὐκ ἐῶν ἀνανεύειν καὶ κατανεύειν, ὥσπερ τὰ κηλώνεια, τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῶν ἀναγινωσκόντων, ὁποῖόν τι κἀμοὶ συμβέβηκε τοῖς γράμμασιν ἐντυχόντι τοῖς σοῖς. Τῶν γὰρ στίχων κειμένων κλιμακηδόν, ἡνίκα ἔδει μεταβαίνειν ἐφ' ἕτερον ἀφ' ἑτέρου, ἀνάγκη ἦν ἐξορθοῦν πρὸς τὸ τέλος τοῦ προσιόντος. Ἐν ᾧ μηδαμοῦ φαινομένης τῆς ἀκολουθίας ἀνατρέχειν ἔδει πάλιν καὶ τὴν τάξιν ἐπι ζητεῖν ἀναποδίζοντα καὶ παρεπόμενον τῷ αὔλακι, καθάπερ τὸν Θησέα τῷ μίτῳ τῆς Ἀριάδνης φασί. Γράφε τοίνυν ὀρθῶς καὶ μὴ πλάνα τὸν νοῦν τῷ πλαγίῳ καὶ λοξῷ τῶν γραφομένων.

335.τ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΣ ΛΙΒΑΝΙΩ

335.1 Αἰσχύνομαι καθ' ἕνα σοι προσάγων τοὺς Καππαδόκας, ἀλλὰ μὴ πάντας τοὺς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ πείθων λόγων καὶ παιδεύ σεως ἀντιποιεῖσθαι καὶ σοὶ κεχρῆσθαι τῆς ἀσκήσεως διδασ κάλῳ. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πάντων εἰσάπαξ ἐπιτυχεῖν τὰ προσή κοντα σφίσιν αὐτοῖς αἱρουμένων οὐχ οἷόν τε, τοὺς ἑκάστοτε πειθομένους παραπέμπομαί