Letter 144: You know the bearer from meeting him in the town. Nevertheless I write to commend him to you, that he may be useful to you in many matters in which you are interested, from his being able to give pious and sensible advice. Now is the time to carry out what you have said to me in private; I mean when this my brother has told you the state of the ...
You already know the man who's bringing you this letter — you've met him in the city. Still, I wanted to write and put in a good word for him. He can be genuinely useful to you on a number of matters you care about; he gives sound, godly counsel and knows how to read a situation.
This is the moment to follow through on what you promised me privately. My brother here will tell you exactly how the poor are doing. [The poor: likely famine victims — Basil organized large-scale relief in Cappadocia ca. 369 AD]
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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I assembled all my brethren the chorepiscopi at the synod of the blessed martyr Eupsychius to introduce them to your excellency. On account of your absence they must be brought before you by letter. Know, therefore, this brother as being worthy to be trusted by your intelligence, because he fears the Lord.