Letter 195
Libanius→Aristaenetus|libanius
To Aristaenetus. (358—361)
If it were proper to send you something lesser, I would have sent it already. But since what reaches you ought to be worthy of your expectations, I will send it when I have enough that meets that standard. Receiving inferior work quickly is far worse than receiving better work with a little delay.
Σωφρονίῳ. (358—361)
Ὃ πάλαι εὐχόμην, ἰχῶ παῖδα σόν, βραδέως μέν, ἀλλ’ ἰχῶ
πάνθ’ ὡς εἰπεῖν ἐοικότα τῷ πατρί, τὴν μορφὴν, τὴν ἐπιεί-
κειαν, τὴν βάδισιν, καὶ μὴν καὶ ὄκνος ἄπεστι καὶ πρὸς λόγους
ἔρρωται. τοῦτο δὴ τὸ σόν.
ἑνὸς δὴ δεῖ, τῆς Τύχης. ἀλλ᾿
εὐχώμεθα, σύ τε κἀγὼ καὶ ὁ τοῦ νεανίσκου μὲν θεῖος, ἐμοὶ
δὲ φίλος. οἶμαι δὲ καὶ τὸν ἄριστον Ἰουλιανὸν παρακαλέσειν
τὸν Ἑρμῆν. ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἐπέταξεν, ἐκεῖνον δ’ ἱκετεύσει.
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To Aristaenetus. (358—361)
If it were proper to send you something lesser, I would have sent it already. But since what reaches you ought to be worthy of your expectations, I will send it when I have enough that meets that standard. Receiving inferior work quickly is far worse than receiving better work with a little delay.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.