Letter 307

To Demetrius. (361?) Do not think my silence means I have forgotten you. The truth is that I have been writing speeches instead of letters, and the speeches leave no energy for correspondence. But you are always in my thoughts, and whenever someone arrives from your part of the world, the first question on my lips is about you. I hear you are well and prospering, which pleases me more than any gift you could send -- though I know you would send gifts too if the roads were safer. Keep well, keep writing when you can, and know that the old teacher still thinks of you with all the warmth he ever felt.

Ἀνατολίῳ. (355) Κάλλιστα ἀνθρώπων Ὑπερέχιος ὄψεται Σελεύκειαν τὸν τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἄριστον ἐπ’ αὐτῆς ἔχων ὁρᾶν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἄρα δοῦ- λοὶ γεγόναμεν ὑπὸ τῆς τέχνης ἢ πάντως ἂν τὴν αὐτὴν ἐθἐο- μεν οὐ λιμένος ἡμᾶς ἕλκοντος οὐδ’ οἷς φασιν ηὐξῆσθαι τὴν πόλιν, ἀλλὰ σοῦ καὶ τῶν σῶν τρόπων ἀναπειθόντων τρέχειν. λείπεται γάρ, ἐπειδὴ σὺ φεύγεις, ἡμᾶς διώκειν. καίτοι πῶς οὐ δεινὸν ἐκ μὲν Ἰταλίας ἐλθεῖν τῷ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἔρωτι, ζητεῖν δὲ οἷς ἀνθ’ ἡμῶν συνέσῃ καὶ πλέον νέμειν ἀγροῖς ἤ τισιν ἑτέροις τόποις τῆς ὑπὸ σοῦ πόλεως κεκοσμημένης; ἀλλ’ δ μὲν Ἀπόλλων πάλιν εἰς Δελφοὺς ἀφίξεται, Μαξίμῳ δὲ χαρι- σάμενος τὴν ἐκ τῶν γραμμάτων βοήθειαν τῷ κείνου παιδὶ χάρισαι τὸ ταχέως δοῦναι τὰ γράμματα. πλέον γὰρ οὗτος ἐπι- θυμεῖ πόνων ἢ τοῦ μὴ πονεῖν ἕτεροι. θαυμάσας οὖν αὐτοῦ τὸ πεπεῖσθαι τῷ πατρὶ σύστειλον εἰς μικρὸν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀπό· στάσιν.