To Dionysius. (363)
The horses of Tros, the horses of Achilles, even winged Pegasus himself — all mean less to me, Dionysius, than the letter you sent, so full of beauty.
They say you also praised the governor with consummate skill, and I believe it — your letter is proof enough. Moreover, word has it that you defeated your opponents in court with the very eloquence you acquired during the time they were wronging you.
So you have recovered your land and everything else they seized. And I have gained glory from the fact that you won back what was yours by your own efforts. If you wish to keep the horse, mount up and ride. But if you cannot help but send it to me, I shall accept it gladly — because you sent it as a victor.
The horses of Tros, the horses of Achilles, even winged Pegasus himself — all mean less to me, Dionysius, than the letter you sent, so full of beauty.
They say you also praised the governor with consummate skill, and I believe it — your letter is proof enough. Moreover, word has it that you defeated your opponents in court with the very eloquence you acquired during the time they were wronging you.
So you have recovered your land and everything else they seized. And I have gained glory from the fact that you won back what was yours by your own efforts. If you wish to keep the horse, mount up and ride. But if you cannot help but send it to me, I shall accept it gladly — because you sent it as a victor.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.