Letter 762

To Seleucus. (362) At last you have taken hold of what is truly yours and become the overseer of work suited to your nature. Before, like Heracles at the loom, you were forced to concern yourself with settling quarrels among men to whom you would gladly have added wars. But those days are mercifully gone. Now it is altars and temples and sacred precincts and statues — adorned by you, and adorning you and your family in return. With such mighty allies, treat the missiles of the impious as harmless, and make those who so long mocked their betters sit down and weep. You owe the gods a debt of gratitude for having become a father, and you must repay it by helping to raise the fallen temples. All this, I know, you will do, so that your restorations will far surpass what is done elsewhere. As for me, my head nearly did me in this summer when the ailment was aggravated by a fraudulent oracle. With my body ailing, how could I be what I once was in my literary work — I who wish to hear and speak of nothing except my head? I have, nonetheless, composed a hymn to my noble emperor, though a very short one. People say it is good, but I am not convinced, and so I keep it hidden. If the cloud should pass and I escape this Aetna and recover some of my powers, I shall write something worthy of sending — and no one will receive it before you.

Σελεύκῳ. (362) Μόλις ἥψω τῶν σαυτοῦ καὶ γέγονας ἐπιστάτης τῶν τῇ σῇ πρεπόντων φύσει. πρότερον δὲ ἄρα Ἡρακλῆς ταλασίας ἠναγκάζου φροντίζειν κοὶ λύειν στάσεις ἀνθρώπων, οἶς ἡδέως ἂν προσέθηκας πολέμους. ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνα μὲν εὖ ποιοῦντα οὄχε- ται, τὰ δὲ νῦν βωμοὶ καὶ νεῴ καὶ τεμένη καὶ ἀγάλματα κο- σμούμενα μὲν ὑπὸ σοῦ, κοσμοῦντα δὲ σὲ καὶ γένος. ἔχων δὴ τηλικούτους συμμάχους κωφὰ μὲν ἡγοῦ τὰ τῶν ἀνοσίων βέλη, κάθιζε δὲ κλάοντας τοὺς καταγελάσαντας πολὺν δὴ χρό- νον τῶν βελτιόνων. ὀφείλεις δὲ χάριν τοῖς θεοῖς πατὴρ γε- γονώς. ἣν ἀποδοῦναί σε χρὴ βοηθοῦντα τῶν ἱερῶν τοῖς κει- μένοις. ταυτὶ μὲν οὖν οἶδ᾿ ὅτι ποιήσεις, ὥστ’ εἶναι πολὺ τὰ διὰ σοῦ τῶν ἑτέρωθι καλλίω· τὰ δ’ ἡμέτερα, μικροῦ με τοῦ θέρους ἡ κεφαλὴ κατηνάγκασεν αὐξηθέντος τοῦ κακοῦ χρησμῷ κιβδήλῳ. νοσῶν δὴ τὸ σῶμα πῶς ἂν δυναίμην οἶος πρὶν εἶναι περὶ τοὺς λόγους, ὃς οὐδὲν οὔτε λέγειν οὔτ ἀκούειν βούλομαι πλὴν περὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς; ὕμνηται μὲν οὖν ὁ γενναῖός μοι βασιλεύς, βραχεῖ δέ τινι μάλα λόγῳ· φασὶ δὲ αὐτὸν εἶναι καλόν, ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ οὐ πείθομαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κρύψας ἔχω ἢν οὗν παρέλθῃ τὸ νέφος καὶ τῆς Αἴτνης ἀπ- αλλαγῶ καὶ κομίσωμαί τινας δυνάμεις, καὶ γράψω τι τοῦ πέμ- πειν ἄξιον, ὃ πρὸ ὑμῶν ληψόμενος οὐκ ἔσται.