To Dianius. (358)
Even before the letter-bearer arrived, word had reached us of the honor you enjoy from a man who himself deserves every honor and praise. And from the man who delivered the letter I could hear things that matched and even surpassed what others had reported.
I reflected, then, that the gods are present with decent and excellent men like yourself, rescuing them easily from what seemed like the direst straits. Your case is not very different from that of the Lesbian lyre-player [Arion, the legendary poet saved by a dolphin], who fell into the sea and was carried more pleasantly than those who stayed on the ship.
While we were grieving for you and lamenting to one another -- into what a storm you had fallen, that earthquake and all its aftermath [likely the earthquake of Nicomedia in 358] -- some god provided you a refuge: a man who is a friend, with greatness of mind and the power to accomplish whatever he sets his heart on.
I urge you to make the most of your present good fortune...
Even before the letter-bearer arrived, word had reached us of the honor you enjoy from a man who himself deserves every honor and praise. And from the man who delivered the letter I could hear things that matched and even surpassed what others had reported.
I reflected, then, that the gods are present with decent and excellent men like yourself, rescuing them easily from what seemed like the direst straits. Your case is not very different from that of the Lesbian lyre-player [Arion, the legendary poet saved by a dolphin], who fell into the sea and was carried more pleasantly than those who stayed on the ship.
While we were grieving for you and lamenting to one another -- into what a storm you had fallen, that earthquake and all its aftermath [likely the earthquake of Nicomedia in 358] -- some god provided you a refuge: a man who is a friend, with greatness of mind and the power to accomplish whatever he sets his heart on.
I urge you to make the most of your present good fortune...
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.