Letter 449

To Phasganius, friend in another city. (355/356) You ask how my affairs stand but say nothing about the state of your own health -- as if I cared less about that than you do about my situation. So hear this: No alarming letter has come, and Spectatus even promises good news. But that reckless man [an unnamed enemy] who is ruining the Great City [possibly Constantinople] has transferred the income I used to draw from the city to others, claiming the emperor's authority, and is now demanding gold from me through a letter to the governor. Strategius was so outraged by this that he let out a cry louder than any I have ever heard from him. And it is precisely these things that make the man well-disposed toward me -- he believes that anyone hated by that person deserves his support. As for the students, things are mostly as before. But Julius the grammarian has left out of grief, and Eudaemon, realizing that not everything comes easily, persuaded Sebastianus to ask me to give him some attention. I also made it clear to Eubulus that I would be glad to see Acacius here, and he raised the matter with the governor, adding that it would please me.

Φασγανίῳ. (355/56) Ἐρωτᾷς, ὅπως ἔχει μοι τὰ πράγματα, τὸ σὸν δὲ ὅπως σοι σῶμα πέπραγεν, οὐ μηνύεις ὥσπερ οὐ πλείονος οὔσης ἡμῖν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου φροντίδος ἢ σοὶ περὶ τούτων. ἄκουε δὴ οὖν γράμμα οὐδὲν ἥκει μοι φοβερόν, Σπεκτάτος δὲ καὶ χρηστὸν ἐπαγγέλλεται. ὁ δὲ μάργος ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὴν Μεγάλην φθείρων πόλιν ἥν τε ἐκαρπούμην ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τροφὴν εἰς ἑτέρους μετέθηκε γνώμῃ βασιλέως χρησάμενος καὶ χρυσὸν εἰσπράττει δή με πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα ἐπιστείλας ἐφ’ οἷς οὕτως ὴγανά- κτήσι Στρατήγιος, ὥστ’ οὐ πώποτε τηλικοῦτον ἀνεβόησε. καὶ δὴ καὶ ταῦτα ἡμῖν εὔνουν τὸν ἄνδρα ποιεῖ· τὸν γὰρ ὑπ’ ἐκεί- νου μισούμενον οἴεται προσήκειν εὖ πάσχειν ὑφ’ ἑαυτοῦ. τὰ δὲ περὶ τοὺς νέους τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ᾗ πρὸ τοῦ, Ἰούλιος δὲ ὁ γραμματιστὴς ὑπὸ λύπης οἴχεται, καὶ γνοὺς Εὐδαίμων ὡς οὔπω πάντα αὑτῷ ῥᾴδια, Σεβαστιανὸν πείθει δεηθῆναί μου νεῖμαί τι προνοίας αὑτῷ. τῷ δὲ Εὐβούλῳ δῆλός τε ἐγενό- μην ἡδέως ἂν ἰδὼν Ἀκάκιον ἐνθάδε καὶ ἐποιήσατο περὶ τού- του πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα λόγον προσθείς, ὡς ἄρα ἀρέσκοντά μοι ποιοῖ. ὁ δὲ οὐ μάλα προσέσχεν οὐκ οἰόμενος δεῖν ἄκοντα ἕλ- κειν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐκ δὲ Παλαιστίνης ἀφιγμένοι τῶν γνω- ρίμων τινὲς λέγουσί τε ὡς αὐτοῦ μενεῖ καί τινα ἐπίδειξιν ἀπαγγέλλουσιν οὐκ εὐτυχῆ. ὁ δὲ Ἡρωδιανὸς προσιὼν ἐμέ τε αὑτοῦ ποιεῖται κύριον καὶ ἐφ’ οἷς Οὐράνιος ζῆν ἀξιοῖ. καὶ πολλὰ τὰ σοῦ χρῄζοντα, τὰ μὲν ἐμά, τὰ δὲ κοινά.