Ep. CV.

The time is swift, the struggle great, and my sickness severer, reducing me almost to immovability.  What is left but to pray to God, and to supplicate your kindness, the one, that He will incline your mind to gentler counsels, the other that you will not roughly dismiss our intercession, but will receive kindly the wretched Paulus, whom justice has brought under your hands, perhaps in order that it may make you more illustrious by the greatness of your kindness, and may commend our prayers (such as they are) to your mercy.

[105] ΤΩΙ ΑΥΤΩΙ

Ὁ μὲν καιρὸς ὀξύς, ὁ δὲ ἀγὼν πολύς, ἡ δὲ νόσος βαρεῖα, μικροῦ καὶ ἀκινήτους ἡμᾶς ποιήσασα. Τί λοιπόν, ἢ Θεοῦ δεηθῆναι καὶ τὴν σὴν ἱκετεῦσαι φιλανθρωπίαν; τοῦ μέν, ἐπὶ νοῦν ἀγαγεῖν σοι τὰ χρηστότερα: τὴν δέ, μὴ τραχέως ἀποπέμψασθαι τὴν ἡμετέραν πρεσβείαν, ἀλλ' ἡμέρως δέξασθαι τὸν ἄθλιον Παῦλον, ὃν ὑπὸ χεῖρας ἤγαγεν ἡ δίκη τὰς σὰς ἴσως ἵνα σε λαμπρότερον ἐργάσηται τῷ μεγέθει τῆς ἡμερότητος, καὶ τὰς ἡμετέρας εὐχάς_εἴ τινές εἰσι_τῇ σῇ προξενήσῃ φιλανθρωπίᾳ.