Letter 579
Libanius→Εὐσεβίῳ|libanius
To Eusebios. (357 AD)
Your sons have good natures and even better eagerness. They have already given some proof of being young men who listen. That this is so — it would not be proper for me to say outright, but it would be shameful for them not to demonstrate it.
By refraining from asking us to advocate on their behalf, you did the work of a man who honors us, testifying by your silence that they have everything they need.
Εὐσεβίῳ. (357)
Οἱ παῖδές σου φύσεως τε ἀγαθῆς καὶ προθυμίας ἀμεί-
νονος. ἤδη δέ τι καὶ δεῖγμα ἐξήνεγκαν νέων ἐχόντων ὦτα.
ὅτι δὲ τοῦτ’ ἔστιν, ἐμοὶ μὲν ἀκριβῶς εἰπεῖν οὐ καλόν, ἐκείνοις
δὲ μὴ τοῦτο ποιεῖν αἰσχρόν.
παρεὶς δὲ τὸ παρακαλεῖν ἡμᾶς
ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τιμῶντος ἔργον ἐποίησας τῇ σιγῇ μαρτυρήσας
ὡς ἅπαν τὸ προσῆκον ἔχουσιν.
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To Eusebios. (357 AD)
Your sons have good natures and even better eagerness. They have already given some proof of being young men who listen. That this is so — it would not be proper for me to say outright, but it would be shameful for them not to demonstrate it.
By refraining from asking us to advocate on their behalf, you did the work of a man who honors us, testifying by your silence that they have everything they need.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.