Letter 201
To Calliopius. (360)
So at last you write -- though it took some prompting. I had begun to wonder whether you still remembered us, or whether the pleasures of your province had driven out every thought of Antioch and the friends you left behind.
But your letter, when it came, was well worth the wait. You write as a man who has not forgotten his education, and your account of affairs in your district was both clear and entertaining. I only wish you had written more -- but I will take what I can get and hope for better next time.
The friends you ask about are well enough, given the times. We carry on with our lectures and our lawsuits, and the students continue to arrive, though not always of the quality we might wish. As for the political situation, you know as much as I do from the rumors that reach every corner of the empire. I will say only that those of us who love the old ways continue to hope, and that hope is not entirely without foundation.
Write again, and do not wait to be asked.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.