Letter 294

To Acacius. (361) Come now, move on and do for the Galatians what you did for the Phrygians. And what you did for the Phrygians was to lead them to every kind of prosperity through your skill at shepherding. I am convinced of this about you and do not hesitate to proclaim it. You held a higher opinion of me than was warranted, but concealed it in silence. Even so, I considered you a good man and counted you among my own friends, though you appeared to be ranked with the opposition -- for you were not shooting at us. It follows naturally from thinking that way then that I should now ask a favor. And I will ask many after this one, but before all the others, this one. There is in Ancyra a man named Maximus: well-born, more noble than Codrus [the legendary last king of Athens] they say, gentle, wealthy from honest means, not coveting his neighbor's land but looking to get the most from his own. He is a friend to Demeter through his farming and to Artemis through the hunt...

Ἀκακίῳ. Ἀκακίῳ. (361) Ἀλλ᾿ ἄγε δή, μετάβηθι καὶ ποίει Γαλάτας, ἃ Φρύγας. Φρύγας δὲ ἄρα πρὸς ἅπασαν εὐδαιμονίαν ἤγαγες τῇ περὶ τὸ ποιμαίνειν τέχνῃ. ταῦτα δὲ ἐγὼ περὶ σοῦ πεπεισμένος καὶ κηρύττειν οὐκ ὀκνῶ. σὺ δὲ τὰ βελτίω μὲν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐπέ- πεισο, σιγῇ δὲ ἔκρυπτες. ἐγὼ δέ σε καὶ οὕτω χρηστὸν ἡγού- μην καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ φίλων ἠρίθμουν καίτοι δοκοῦντα τετάχθαι μετὰ τῶν ἐναντίων· οὐ γὰρ ἐτόξευες. ἀκόλουθον δὴ τῷ τότε οὕτω φρονεῖν τὸ νῦν χάριν αἰτεῖν. αἰτήσω δὲ πολλὰς μὲν ἐπὶ ταύτῃ, πρὸ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ταύτην. ἔστιν ἐν Ἀγκύρᾳ Μάξιμος, εὐγενής, εὐγενέστερος Κόδρου, φασί, πρᾷος, ἐκ τοῦ δικαίου πλουτῶν, οὐ τὴν τοῦ γείτονος εὐχόμενος προσλαβεῖν, ἀλλ’ ὅπως πολλὰ λήψεται παρὰ τῶν αὑτοῦ προνοῶν, φίλος ἀνὴρ Δήμητρι μὲν διὰ τὸ γεωργίᾳ προσέχειν, Ἀρτέμιδι δὲ διὰ τὴν θήραν· τῶν γὰρ ὅπλων οἷς ποτε ἐκοσμεῖτο ἀφειμένος ἵππους καὶ κύνας ἐπὶ τὰ θηρία τρέφει. φαινόμενος δὲ ἐπ ἀγορᾶς ὀλιγάκις ἐλύπησε μὲν οὐδένα, τῷ φανῆναι δὲ εὐφρά- νας ἀπῆλθεν ἓν τοῦτο ἐγκαλούμενος, ὅτι πρὸς ἀγροὺς ἀπο- τρέχει. οὗτος ὁ Μάξιμος ξένος μοι γίγνεται πάλαι καὶ τοὺς υἱεῖς ἐνεχείρισεν. ὧν ὁ πρεσβύτερος ἀρετὴν ἐν νεότητι δείξας πολλὴν ἐμοί τε καὶ τοῖς αὑτοῦ γονεῦσι τὴν φιλίαν ποιεῖ, δι’ ἣν ἐκεῖνοί τε τἀμὰ τῶν αὑτῶν πρότερα ποιοῦνται παρ’ ἐμοί τε ταὐτὸ κρατεῖ. εὖ γὰρ ἴσθι, μᾶλλον εὐεργέτην ἄγω τὸν εἰς τἀκείνων σπουδῇ χρώμενον ἢ ὅστις ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ κινδύνους αἱρεῖται. πιστεύω δὲ νῦν, εἴπερ ποτέ, ἐν τιμῇ τὸν ἄνδρα ἔσεσθαι. πιστεύω γὰρ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἐν φαύλῳ παρὰ σοὶ κεῖσθαι. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἀγαθοῖς ἄρχουσι βραχὺς τῶν λέγειν ἐπισταμένων λόγος, βούλοιντο γὰρ ἂν τὰ αὑτῶν σιγᾶ- σθαι, τοῖς δὲ γενναίοις ὑμῖν λόγων δεῖ καὶ μάλιστα δεῖ, οἷς τὰ καλὰ τῶν ἔργων ἅπας ὁ χρόνος εἴσεται.