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Epistulae 1 166

To Caesarius and Eubulus

Pythagoras the Samian, but they say not even he honored silence forever, but a time was appointed for them that brought a change to speaking, and they changed. But not even during the time they were silent was it necessary, I suppose, for them to know nothing from one another, but silence held the tongue, while the hand served the mind, and through letters they spoke again. But if you are emulating Pythagoras, let there now be an end to silence; for time will reasonably break it. But if you have come bringing something more, you are a harsh sort and know not how to love in return. And yet, the story is that Alpheus, being a river and dwelling so far from Arethusa, even now sees Sicily from the Peloponnese, and being carried through the midst of the sea, takes care that he is both beautiful and remains sweet for the spring. And she receives her weary lover and gives herself, and you might then see a strange union of a river and a spring. But you neither come to us with words, nor do you answer us when we come. But may you give us an end of complaints; but if not—but I do not wish to say anything, lest I depart having caused pain. 2 To Hieronymus I thought you had long since reached the Nile, and often calling this to mind, my usual saying, "1how fortunate"2 I said, "1are the children of the Egyptians, having long had the Nile as a provider of all that it knows how to bear, but now having also acquired your muse, no less honored than the Nile, and in my judgment perhaps even greater. For it, flowing over their land, permits them to be rich, but you, letting loose your tongue upon the souls of the young, direct them to the wealth of knowledge, no less than Pythagoras of old sojourning among them and after him Plato".2 These things, then, I was considering, but you were hiding not far away. But when the one who delivered the letter arrived, at first, being astonished, I thought the matter a deception and I did not trust my eyes. But when, upon reading what was written, I was persuaded that the graces could not belong to another, I was pleased, how do you think? For I considered the hopes of seeing you again to be nearer to me, and I reasonably rejoiced if you have rendered your fatherland enviable for at least a short time. But you seem to me to be accusing it in jest. For that the air above our heads happens to be as you said, and that the water brings those who drink it to the memory of the sea, and our bread is randomly mixed from barley, I would not deny; but these things have been made less tragic by you out of regard for the fatherland. But nevertheless, O best of men, one ought to be grateful to it for training the mind towards philosophy, so that you might one day know how to look down on Egyptian luxury. But wise Odysseus, inhabiting a small and rugged island—for what else but Ithaca?—neither Calypso nor a change of nature for the better persuaded him not to choose Ithaca instead of these things. Nor, I think, did a Spartan, considering the diet at home, find fault with Sparta. But I know from where you were moved to accuse. You are fond of money, O best of men. Then, standing a little way off from profit, you cry "alas, alas," and you often call upon the Nile and the wealth from there. This, I suppose, makes you withered, as you yourself said, and your body no more elegant than that of Chaerephon. And I think that you are also passionately attached to your bride and are testing with difficulty how much desire can do. But may these things be so as is dear to Aphrodite and the Loves. Farewell, and may I soon address you also as a father of children. 3 To Pythius If someone, approaching me without having done this before, saw fit to learn if I had a lyre, and made a speech about harmony, I would have certainly understood the matter, and I would have known at once that this man was a musician. But if the words were about weapons, and he spoke of battles and always recounted the fortunes of war, it was not necessary, I suppose, to go to Pytho and that a soldier

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Epistulae 1 166

Καισαρείωι καὶ Εὐβούλωι

Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτόν φασιν ὡς μέχρι παντὸς ἐτίμα σιγήν, ἀλλ' ὥριστο χρόνος αὐτοῖς μεταβολὴν ἄγων ἐπὶ λόγους, καὶ μετεβάλλοντο. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ παρ' ὃν ἐσιώπων χρόνον ἔδει δήπουθεν μηδὲν παρ' ἀλλήλων εἰδέναι, ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν γλῶτταν εἶχε σιγή, ἡ δὲ χεὶρ διηκονεῖτο τῇ γνώμῃ, καὶ διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων πάλιν ἐφθέγγοντο. ὑμεῖς δὲ εἰ μὲν τὸν Πυθαγόραν ζηλοῦτε, καὶ δὴ πέρας ἔστω σιγῆς· λύσει γὰρ αὐτὴν εἰκότως ὁ χρόνος. εἰ δέ τι πλέον φέροντες ἥκετε, σκληροί τινες ὑμεῖς καὶ ἀντερᾶν οὐκ εἰδότες. καίτοι τὸν Ἀλφειὸν λόγος ποταμὸν ὄντα καὶ τοσοῦτον Ἀρεθούσης ἀπῳκισμένον μέχρι καὶ νῦν ἐκ Πελοποννήσου τὴν Σικελίαν ὁρᾶν, καὶ διὰ μέσης θαλάττης ἀγόμενον σκοπεῖν ὅπως καλός τε ᾖ καὶ διαμένῃ γλυκὺς τῇ πηγῇ. ἡ δὲ δέχεται τὸν ἐραστὴν κεκμηκότα καὶ δίδωσιν ἑαυτήν, καὶ ἴδοις ἂν τότε ξένην ἀφροδίτην ποταμοῦ καὶ πηγῆς. ὑμεῖς δὲ οὔτε φοιτᾶτε πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοῖς λόγοις, οὔτε φοιτῶντας ἀμείβεσθε. ἀλλὰ γὰρ δοίητε τέλος ἐγκλημάτων ἡμῖν· εἰ δὲ μήἀλλ' οὐ βούλομαί τι λέγειν, ἵνα μὴ λυπήσας ἀπέλθω. 2 Ἱερωνύμωι Ἐγὼ μὲν ᾤμην σε τὸν Νεῖλον πάλαι κατειληφέναι, καὶ πολλάκις εἰς μνήμην λαμβάνων τοῦτο δὴ τὸ εἰωθὸς ἐμοὶ "1ὡς εὐδαίμονες"2 ἔλεγον "1τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις οἱ παῖδες, πάλαι μὲν τὸν Νεῖλον ἔχοντες χορηγὸν τῶν ὅσα φέρειν οἶδεν ἐκεῖνος, νυνὶ δὲ καὶ τὴν σὴν μοῦσαν προσειληφότες οὐδὲν ἀτιμοτέραν τοῦ Νείλου, παρ' ἐμοὶ δὲ κριτῇ τάχα καὶ μείζω. ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὴν χώραν αὐτοῖς ἐπιρρέων πλουτεῖν ἐπιτρέπει, σὺ δὲ ταῖς τῶν νέων ψυχαῖς τὴν γλῶτταν ἐπαφιεὶς ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς ἐπιστήμης πλοῦτον ἰθύνεις, οὐδὲν ἔλαττον ἢ ὁ πάλαι Πυθαγόρας αὐτοῖς ἐπιδημῶν καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον ὁ Πλάτων"2. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐλογιζόμην, σὺ δὲ οὐ μακρὰν ἀπέχων ἐλάνθανες. ὡς δὲ ἧκεν ὁ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐπιδούς, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον θαυμάζων ἀπάτην ἡγούμην τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ οὐκ ἐπειθόμην τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς. ὡς δὲ τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ἐντυχὼν ἐπείσθην μὴ ἂν ὑπάρχειν ἄλλου τὰς χάριτας, ἥσθην, πῶς δοκεῖ; ἐγγυτέρας γὰρ ἐμοὶ αὐτὰς τὰς τοῦ σε πάλιν ἰδεῖν ἡγούμην ἐλπίδας, καὶ συνέχαιρον εἰκότως εἰ τὴν πατρίδα ζηλωτὴν μικρὸν γοῦν ἀπέφηνας χρόνον. σὺ δέ μοι δοκεῖς παίζων αὐτῆς κατηγορεῖν. ὅτι μὲν γὰρ τὸν ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἀέρα οἷον ἔφης εἶναι συμ βαίνει, καὶ ὡς τὸ ὕδωρ τοὺς πίνοντας εἰς μνήμην ἄγει θαλάττης, καὶ ἄρτος ἡμῖν ἐκ κριθῆς εἰκῆ μεμιγμένος, οὐκ ἂν ἀρνηθείην· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔλαττον τετραγῴ δηταί σοι ταῦτα φειδοῖ τῆς πατρίδος. ἀλλ' ὅμως, ὦ βέλτιστε, χάριν ἐχρῆν εἰδέναι ταύτῃ πρὸς φιλοσοφίαν ἀσκούσῃ τὴν γνώμην, ὅπως ἂν εἰδείης ποτὲ τρυφῆς Αἰγυπτίας ὑπερορᾶν. Ὀδυσσέα δὲ τὸν σοφόν, νῆσον οἰκοῦντα μικρὰν ὁμοῦ καὶ τραχεῖαν καὶ τί γὰρ ἄλλο ἢ τὴν Ἰθάκην, οὔτε Καλυψὼ πέπεικεν οὔτε φύσεως ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον μεταβολὴ τὸ μὴ τὴν Ἰθάκην ἀντὶ τούτων αἱρεῖσθαι. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ Σπαρτιάτης οἶμαι τὴν οἴκοι δίαιταν ἐννοῶν τὴν Σπάρτην ἐμέμψατο. ἀλλ' οἶδα πόθεν ποτὲ κατηγορεῖν ἐπήρθης. φιλο χρημάτως ἔχεις, ὦ λῷστε. εἶτα βραχύ τι τοῦ λήμματος ἀποστὰς ἰοὺ ἰοὺ βοᾷς, καὶ τὸν Νεῖλον πολλάκις καὶ τὸν ἐκεῖθεν πλοῦτον ἀνακαλεῖς. τοῦτό σέ που ξηρόν, ὡς αὐτὸς ἔφης, ποιεῖ καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Χαιρεφῶντος οὐδὲν ἀστειότερον ἔχειν. οἶμαι δέ σε καὶ τῆς νύμφης ἐρωτικῶς περιέχεσθαι καὶ πειρᾶσθαι μόλις ὁπόσα δύναται πόθος. ἀλλὰ γένοιτο ταῦθ' οὕτως ὅπως Ἀφροδίτῃ φίλον καὶ Ἔρωσιν. ἔρρωσο, καί σε θᾶττον προσείποιμι καὶ παί δων πατέρα. 3 Πυθίωι Εἴ μοί τις προσελθὼν οὐ πρότερον τοῦτο ποιήσας ἠξίου μανθάνειν εἰ λύραν ἔχοιμι, καὶ περὶ ἁρμονίας λόγον ἐποίει, πάντως ἂν ᾐσθόμην τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ ὅτι μουσικὸς οὗτος εὐθὺς ἠπιστάμην. εἰ δὲ περὶ ὅπλων ἦσαν οἱ λόγοι, καὶ μάχας ἔλεγε καὶ πολέμου τύχας ἀεὶ διηγεῖτο, οὐκ ἔδει δήπουθεν Πυθώδε ἰέναι καὶ ὅτι στρατιώτης