Letter 37: I look with suspicion on the multiplication of letters. Against my will, and because I cannot resist the importunity of petitioners, I am compelled to speak. I write because I can think of no other means of relieving myself than by assenting to the supplications of those who are always asking letters from me.

I look with suspicion on the multiplication of letters. Against my will, and only because I can't resist the pleading of petitioners, I keep writing. I write because I can think of no other way to relieve myself than by giving in to the people who are constantly asking me for letters of introduction. Honestly, I'm afraid that with so many letters floating around, one of them might get mistakenly attributed to the wrong person. I admit it: I have many friends and relatives in my home country, and the Lord's appointment has placed me in a parental role toward them. Among these is my foster brother, the son of my nurse. I pray that the household where I was raised keeps its current tax assessment, so that your excellency's visit to our region — so beneficial to everyone — doesn't accidentally become a source of hardship for him. I'm sustained by that same household, since I have nothing of my own and live off the generosity of those who love me. So I ask you: spare the house that nursed me, as though you were maintaining my own livelihood. May God grant you His everlasting rest. There's one more thing Your Excellency should know, and it's important: most of the household workers were originally given to him by us — by my father and mother — specifically in exchange for supporting me. But it wasn't an outright gift. He was only to have their use during his lifetime. If anything serious should happen to him on their account, he can return them to me, and I'll take on the tax obligations myself.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA Without address. I look with suspicion on the multiplication of letters. Against my will, and because I cannot resist the importunity of petitioners, I am compelled to speak. I write because I can think of no other means of relieving myself than by assenting to the supplications of those who are always asking letters from me. I am really afraid lest, since many are carrying letters off, one of the many be reckoned to be that brother. I have, I own, many friends and relatives in my own country, and I am placed in loco parentis by the position which the Lord has given me. Among them is this my foster brother, son of my nurse, and I pray that the house in which I was brought up may remain at its old assessment, so that the sojourn among us of your excellency, so beneficial to us all, may turn out no occasion of trouble to him. Now too I am supported from the same house, because I have nothing of my own, but depend upon those who love me. I do then entreat you to spare the house in which I was nursed as though you were keeping up the supply of support for me. May God in return grant you His everlasting rest. One thing however, and it is most true, I think your excellency ought to know, and that is that the greater number of the slaves were given him from the outset by us, as an equivalent for my sustenance, by the gift of my father and mother. At the same time this was not to be regarded as an absolute gift; he was only to have the use for life, so that, if anything serious happen to him on their account, he is at liberty to send them back to me, and I shall thus in another way be responsible for rates and to collectors.

[Πρός: Ἀνεπίγραφος, ὑπὲρ συντρόφου] Ὑφορῶμαι λοιπὸν τῶν ἐπιστολῶν τὸ πλῆθος. βιαίως μέν, καὶ μὴ φέρων τὴν ἐπάχθειαν τῶν ἀπαιτούντων ἡμᾶς, ἐκφωνεῖν ἀναγκάζομαι· γράφω δʼ οὖν ὅμως, ἄλλον ἀπαλλαγῆς τρόπον ἐπινοεῖν οὐκ ἔχων, ἢ διδοὺς αὐτοῖς τὰς ἐπιστολὰς αἰτοῦσιν ἑκάστοτε παρʼ ἡμῶν. φοβοῦμαι τοίνυν μή, ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ προσκομίζουσι γράμματα, εἶς τῶν πολλῶν νομισθῇ καὶ ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὁ δεῖνα. ἐγὼ γὰρ πολλοὺς φίλους καὶ συγγενεῖς ἔχειν ἐπὶ τῆς πατρίδος ὁμολογῶ, καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς τὴν πατρικὴν τάξιν τετάχθαι, διὰ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦτο εἰς ὃ ἔταξεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Κύριος. σύντροφον δὲ τῆς θρεψαμένης με υἱὸν τοῦτον ἔχω ἕνα, καὶ εὔχομαι τὸν οἶκον ἐν ᾧ ἀνετράφην ἐπὶ τῆς ὁμοίας καταστάσεως διαμεῖναι, ἵνα μή τι ἡ πάντας εὐεργετοῦσα ἐπιδημία τῆς σῆς κοσμιότητος ἀφορμὴ πρὸς λύπην τῷ ἀνδρὶ γένηται. ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ διατρέφομαι οἴκου, οὐδὲν ἔχων τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ, ἀρκούμενος δὲ τοῖς τῶν ἀγαπητῶν, παρακαλῶ οὕτω φείσασθαι τῆς οἰκίας ᾗ ἐνετράφην, ὡς ἐμοὶ τῆς τροφῆς τὴν χορηγίαν διασώζοντα. καί σε ὁ Θεὸς ἀντὶ τούτων τῆς αἰωνίου ἀναπαύσεως ἀξιώσειεν. Ἐκεῖνό γε μὴν πάντων ἀληθέστατον γινώσκειν σου τὴν κοσμιότητα βούλομαι, ὅτι τῶν ἀνδραπόδων τὰ πλεῖστα παρʼ ἡμῶν ὑπῆρξεν αὐτῷ μισθὸς τῆς τροφῆς ἡμῶν, τῶν γονέων ἡμῶν παρασχομένων. ὁ δὲ μισθὸς οὐ παντελής ἐστι δωρεά, ἀλλὰ χρῆσις διὰ βίου. ὥστε ἐάν τι βαρὺ περὶ αὐτὰ γένηται, ἔξεστιν αὐτῷ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀποπέμψαι, καὶ ἐσόμεθα ἡμεῖς δι’ ἑτέρας ὁδοῦ ὑπεύθυνοι τελέσμασι καὶ ἀπαιτηταῖς πάλιν γινόμενοι.