Letter CCLXXIV.1494    Of the same time as the preceding.

To Himerius, the master.

That my friendship and affection for the very reverend brother Hera began when I was quite a boy, and has, by God’s grace, continued up to my old age, no one knows better than yourself.  For the Lord granted me the affection of your excellency at about the same time that He allowed me to become acquainted with Hera.  He now needs your patronage, and I therefore beseech and supplicate you to do a favour for the sake of our old affection, and to heed the necessity under which we now lie.  I beg you to make his cause your own, that he may need no other protection, but may return to me, successful in all that he is praying for.  Then to the many kindnesses which I have received at your hands I shall be able to add yet this one more.  I could not claim any favour more important to myself, or one more nearly touching my own interests.

ΗΜΕΡΙῼ ΜΑΓΙΣΤΡῼ

[1] Ἡ πρὸς τὸν αἰδεσιμώτατον ἀδελφὸν Ἥραν φιλία μοι καὶ συνήθεια ὅτι ἐκ πάνυ παιδὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔλαβε καὶ μέχρι γήρως παρέμεινε τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι παντὸς ἄμεινον καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπίστασαι. Σχεδὸν γὰρ καὶ τὴν τῆς σῆς μεγαλοφυΐας ἀγάπην ἐξ ἐκείνου ἡμῖν ὁ Κύριος ἐχαρίσατο ἐξ ὅτου καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἡμῖν γνῶσιν προεξένησεν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν δεῖται τῆς παρὰ σοῦ προστασίας, παρακαλῶ σε καὶ καθικετεύω τῇ τε ἀρχαίᾳ περὶ ἡμᾶς διαθέσει χαριζόμενον καὶ τῇ νῦν κατασχούσῃ ἀνάγκῃ προσσχόντα οὕτως οἰκειώσασθαι τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν πράγματα ὥστε μηδεμιᾶς αὐτὸν ἑτέρας προστασίας δεηθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἐπανελθεῖν πρὸς ἡμᾶς πάντα καταπραξάμενον τὰ κατ' εὐχάς: ὥστε ταῖς πολλαῖς αἷς πεπόνθαμεν παρὰ σοῦ εὐεργεσίαις καὶ ταύτην ἡμᾶς ἔχειν συναριθμεῖν, ἧς οὐκ ἂν μείζονα ἑαυτοῖς οὐδὲ μᾶλλον ἡμῖν διαφέρουσαν εὑρίσκοντες οἰκειούμεθα.