Letter 510

To Andronicus. Either you are joking in your letter or you are completely out of touch with reality. First, if you think your uncle will behave like an uncle toward you. Second, if you think he will do so on my account. This man has become more hostile to me than any of my enemies here, and he does me as much harm as he can -- and he can do a great deal, since he is rich. How he got his wealth, you know perfectly well. He turned against me because you did not give him what he demanded. I never stopped caring for you despite all this, but because I would not hate you to make him happy, he decided he had to hate me. If you are hoping for some kindness from that man, you are looking for wings on a wolf. Even Themistius -- and who could you name that compares with him? A man whose voice could tame Scythians [proverbially wild barbarian people] -- what did he not say, what did he not do? What path of persuasion did he leave untried? But as Homer says: "The gods set in his breast an unrelenting and evil rage, on account of the girl." It seems to me that your uncle looks at his little daughter and considers even the wealth of Cinyras [a mythically rich king of Cyprus] too small. So he grabs from every direction, and if he asks and does not receive, the person who refused instantly becomes his enemy -- and does not merely hear abuse, but suffers for it. So either give up what he demands and end the war, or hold firm to what is yours and endure it.

Ανδρονίκῳ. (356/57) Ἢ παίζειν ἔοικας ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν ἢ τὸ πᾶν ἀγνοεῖν, πρῶτον μέν, εἰ νομίζεις τὸν σαυτοῦ θεῖον θείου τι πρὸς σὲ ποιήσειν· ἔπειτα, εἰ δι’ ἡμᾶς. ἐμοὶ γὰρ οὑτοσὶ χαλεπώτερος γέγονε τῶν παρ’ ἡμῖν χαλεπῶν καὶ κακῶς ὅσα δύναται ποιεῖ· δύναται δὲ πολλὰ καὶ πλουτεῖ· τὸ ὁ ὅθεν, ἴστε. ἔσχε δὲ πρὸς ἐμὲ δυσκόλως ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ παρὰ σοῦ τυχεῖν ὧν ἐπέ- ταττεν. ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ οὐδ’ οὕτως ἐπαυόμην φιλῶν, ὁ δ’ ὅτι σε μὴ μεταβαλὼν ἐμίσουν, μισεῖν ᾠήθη με δεῖν. σὺ δ’ εὖ τι παθεῖν παρ’ ἐκείνου ζητῶν λύκου πτερὰ ζητεῖς· ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν ὁ Θεμίστιος, ᾧ τί παραπλήσιον εἴποις ἄν; οὗ φθεγγομένου κἂν Σκύθαι γένοιντο ἥμεροι, τί μὲν οὐκ εἶπε, τί δὲ οὐκ ἔδρασε; ποίαν δὲ οὐκ ἧλθε πειθοῦς ὁδόν; Τῷ δ᾿ ἄλληκτόν τε κακόν τε Θυμὸν ἐνὶ στήθεσσι θεοὶ θέσαν εἵνεκα κούρης. Δοκεῖ γάρ μοι πρὸς τὸ θυγάτριον βλέπων καὶ τὰ Κινύρου Μικρὰ νομίζειν, ὥστε πανταχόθεν ἀρπάζειν, κἂν αἰτήσας μὴ Λάβῃ, ἐχθρὸς εὐθέως ὁ μὴ δοὺς καὶ κακῶς οὐκ ἀκήκοεν, ἀλλὰ Πέπονθεν. ἢ οὖν ἀποστὰς ὧν αἰτεῖ λῦσον τὸν πόλεμον ἢ Τῶν σαυτοῦ κρατῶν ἀνέχου τοῦ πολέμου.