From: Libanius, rhetorician in Antioch
To: Eutherius, governor of Armenia
Date: ~357 AD
Context: A recommendation for Artemion -- a man who embodies the qualities a governor values.
I think you already know the excellent Artemion. He's the sort of man who draws people to himself, and you're a keen hunter of good men. But if this hasn't happened yet, let it happen now. I'm the one bringing you together, and perhaps I'm not inexperienced in this kind of matchmaking.
Several things make Artemion stand out: distinguished birth, rhetorical ability, moderate character, and a habit of loving governors while they're in office and praising them after they leave.
And here's something else -- the very thing you're looking for: he's devoted to our work [i.e., rhetoric]. So you'll claim him as much as he'll claim you.
Give him yourself as the reward for his devotion to us. You'll find that once he gains confidence, he actually becomes more considerate. And even if he does become a nuisance, you'll put up with it for my sake. But he won't be a nuisance.
**To Eutherius** (357/8)
I imagine you are already acquainted with the excellent Artemius — for he is the sort of man who draws others to him, and you are a keen hunter of good men. But if this has not yet come about, let it happen now. And I, who bring you together, am perhaps not without some skill in making such harmonious matches.
Many qualities distinguish Artemius: the eminence of his family, his power in eloquence, his temperate character, and his habit of showing devotion to governors while they are in office and praising them after they have departed.
But he also performs that very service which you seek — for he has embraced my works. So you will find that he does this no less than you yourself profess to do.
Grant him, then, as a reward for his devotion to me, the gift of yourself. Once he has gained your confidence, you will find him, I think, all the more respectful for it. And even should he prove troublesome, you at least will bear it for my sake. But he will not be troublesome.
Context:A recommendation for Artemion -- a man who embodies the qualities a governor values.
I think you already know the excellent Artemion. He's the sort of man who draws people to himself, and you're a keen hunter of good men. But if this hasn't happened yet, let it happen now. I'm the one bringing you together, and perhaps I'm not inexperienced in this kind of matchmaking.
Several things make Artemion stand out: distinguished birth, rhetorical ability, moderate character, and a habit of loving governors while they're in office and praising them after they leave.
And here's something else -- the very thing you're looking for: he's devoted to our work [i.e., rhetoric]. So you'll claim him as much as he'll claim you.
Give him yourself as the reward for his devotion to us. You'll find that once he gains confidence, he actually becomes more considerate. And even if he does become a nuisance, you'll put up with it for my sake. But he won't be a nuisance.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.