Letter 137: I do now really feel the loss which I suffer from being ill; so that, when such a man succeeds to the government of my country, my having to nurse myself compels me to be absent. For a whole month I have been undergoing the treatment of natural hot springs, in the hope of drawing some benefit from them. But I seem to be troubling myself to no pu...

To Antipater, the new governor of Cappadocia [capital: Caesarea, in modern central Turkey] Now I truly feel what it costs me to be sick. A man like you takes over the governance of my province, and here I am, stuck nursing my health instead of being there to welcome you. I've spent the past month at the natural hot springs, hoping they'd do me some good. But I'm starting to think I'm wasting my time out here alone — or worse, making myself a joke, ignoring the old saying that warmth does nothing for a dead man. Even so, I'm determined to set everything else aside and come see you as soon as I can. I want to benefit from your leadership, and with your help, get some personal matters here sorted out properly. Here is my request. The house belonging to our revered mother Palladia — I consider it practically my own. She's family to me by blood, and a mother to me by character. Some dispute has been raised about her property, and I ask you to delay the hearing just a little, until I can get there. Not so that justice won't be done — I would sooner die a thousand deaths than ask a judge who loves the law to bend it as a personal favor. But there are things I need to explain to you in person that wouldn't be appropriate to put in writing. If you grant me this, the truth will lose nothing by the short wait, and no one will be harmed. In the meantime, please keep the individual in question in safe custody under military guard. That's all I ask — a small, harmless favor.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To Antipater, on his assuming the governorship of Cappadocia. I do now really feel the loss which I suffer from being ill; so that, when such a man succeeds to the government of my country, my having to nurse myself compels me to be absent. For a whole month I have been undergoing the treatment of natural hot springs, in the hope of drawing some benefit from them. But I seem to be troubling myself to no purpose in my solitude, or indeed to be deservedly a laughing stock to mankind, for not heeding the proverb which says warmth is no good to the dead. Even situated as I am, I am very anxious to put aside everything else, and betake myself to your excellency, that I may enjoy the benefit of all your high qualities, and through your goodness settle all my home affairs here in a proper manner. The house of our reverend mother Palladia is my own, for I am not only nearly related to her, but regard her as a mother on account of her character. Now, as some disturbance has been raised about her house, I ask your excellency to postpone the enquiry for a little while, and to wait till I come; not at all that justice may not be done, for I had rather die ten thousand times than ask a favour of that kind from a judge who is a friend of law and right, but that you may learn from me by word of mouth matters which it would be unbecoming for me to write. If you do so you will in no wise fail in fealty to the truth, and we shall suffer no harm. I beg you then to keep the individual in question in safe custody under the charge of the troops, and not refuse to grant me this harmless favour.

[Πρός: Ἀντιπάτρῳ] Νῦν μοι δοκῶ μάλιστα ἐπαισθάνεσθαι τῆς ζημίας, ἣν ὑπομένω διὰ τὸ ἀρρωστεῖν, ὁπότε, ἀνδρὸς τοιούτου τὴν πατρίδα ἡμῶν ἐφέποντος, αὐτὸς ἀπεῖναι διὰ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τοῦ σώματος ἀναγκάζομαι. μῆνα γὰρ ὅλον ἤδη προσκαθέζομαι τῇ ἐκ τῶν αὐτοφυῶς θερμῶν ὑδάτων θεραπείᾳ ὡς δή τι ὄφελος ἐντεῦθεν ἕξων. ἔοικα δὲ διακενῆς πονεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρημίας, ἢ καὶ γέλωτος τοῖς πολλοῖς ἄξιος εἶναι φαίνεσθαι, μηδὲ τῆς παροιμίας ἀκούων τῆς οὐδὲν ἀπὸ θερμῶν ὄφελος εἶναι τοῖς τεθνηκόσι λεγούσης. Διόπερ καὶ οὕτως ἔχων βούλομαι πάντα παρεὶς καταλαβεῖν σου τὴν σεμνοπρέπειαν, ὥστε τῶν ἐν σοὶ καλῶν ἀπολαύειν καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν οἶκον τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ πράγματα διὰ τῆς σῆς ὀρθότητος εὐπρεπῶς διαθέσθαι. ἐμὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἴδιος ὁ τῆς σεμνοτάτης μητρὸς ἡμῶν Παλλαδίας οἶκος, ἣν οὐ μόνον ἡ τοῦ γένους οἰκειότης ἡμῖν συνάπτει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τοῦ τρόπου δεξιὸν ἀντὶ μητρὸς ἡμῖν εἶναι πεποίηκεν. ἐπεὶ οὖν κεκίνηταί τις ταραχὴ περὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτῆς, ἀξιοῦμέν σου τὴν μεγαλόνοιαν μικρὸν ὑπερθέσθαι τὴν ἐξέτασιν καὶ ἀναμεῖναι ἡμῶν τὴν παρουσίαν, οὐχ ὥστε διαφθαρῆναί τὸ δίκαιον (μυριάκις γὰρ ἂν ἀποθανεῖν ἑλοίμην ἢ τοιαύτην αἰτῆσαι χάριν παρὰ δικαστοῦ φίλου τοῖς νόμοις καὶ τῷ δικαίῳ), ἀλλʼ ὥστε ἃ οὐκ εὐπρεπὲς ἐμοὶ γράφειν, ταῦτα ἀπὸ στόματος ἀπαγγέλλοντός μου μαθεῖν. οὕτω γὰρ οὔτε αὐτὸς τῆς ἀληθείας διαμαρτήσῃ, οὔτε ἡμεῖς πεισόμεθά τι τῶν ἀβουλήτων. δέομαι οὖν, τοῦ προσώπου ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ ὄντος καὶ κατεχομένου παρὰ τῆς τάξεως, ἀνεπαχθῆ ταύτην χάριν καὶ ἀνεπίφθονον ἡμῖν καταθέσθαι.