Letter 88: Without address on the subject of the exaction of taxes. Your excellency knows better than any one else the difficulty of getting together the gold furnished by contribution. We have no better witness to our poverty than yourself, for with your great kindness you have felt for us, and, up to the present time, so far as has lain within your power...

Your Excellency knows better than anyone how hard it is to collect the tax in gold. And you're the best witness to how poor we are — you've seen it yourself. Out of genuine kindness, you've been patient with us so far, never letting pressure from higher up change your naturally reasonable approach. We're still short on the full amount. The remainder has to come from the contribution we've asked the whole city to pay. What I'm asking for is a brief delay so we can send reminders out to people in the countryside — most of our local officials [magistrates: municipal leaders responsible for civic administration and tax collection] are out there right now. If you can accept a partial payment — minus however many pounds we're still behind on — I'd be grateful. We'll send the rest later. But if the full amount absolutely must come in all at once, then I'll repeat my first request: please give us more time.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA Without address on the subject of the exaction of taxes. Your excellency knows better than any one else the difficulty of getting together the gold furnished by contribution. We have no better witness to our poverty than yourself, for with your great kindness you have felt for us, and, up to the present time, so far as has lain within your power, have borne with us, never departing from your own natural forbearance from any alarm caused by superior authority. Now of the whole sum there is still something wanting, and that must be got in from the contribution which we have recommended to all the town. What I ask is, that you will grant us a little delay, that a reminder may be sent to dwellers in the country, and most of our magistrates are in the country. If it is possible for it to be sent in short of as many pounds as those in which we are still behind-hand, I should be glad if you would so arrange, and the amount shall be sent later. If, however, it is absolutely necessary that the whole sum should be sent in at once, then I repeat my first request that we may be allowed a longer time of grace.

[Πρός: Ἀνεπίγραφος, ἐπὶ ἀπαιτητῇ χρημάτων] Τὴν δυσκολίαν τῆς συγκομιδῆς τοῦ πραγματευτικοῦ χρυσίου πάντων μάλιστα ἡ σὴ τιμιότης κατέμαθε· καὶ τῆς πενίας ἡμῶν οὐδένα μάρτυρα τοιοῦτον ἔχομεν, οἷον σέ, ὃς ἐκ τῆς μεγάλης φιλανθρωπίας καὶ συνέπαθες ἡμῖν καὶ συμπεριηνέχθης μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος τὰ δυνατά, οὐδαμοῦ τὸ πρᾶον τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τῶν τρόπων καταστάσεως ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἄνωθεν ἐπικειμένων ταραχῆς παρακινήσας. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὑπολείπεται ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ παντὸς σταθμοῦ ὀλίγον ἔτι χρυσίον, καὶ τοῦτο ἀνάγκη ἐκ τοῦ ἐράνου, εἰς ὃν προετρεψάμεθα πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν, συγκομισθῆναι, παρακαλοῦμέν σου τὴν ἡμερότητα μικρόν τι ἐκτεῖναι ἡμῖν τὴν προθεσμίαν, πρὸς τὸ καὶ τοὺς ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ὑπομνησθῆναι. ἐν ἀγροῖς γάρ ἐστι τὸ πολὺ τῶν ἐν τέλει, ὡς οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἀγνοεῖς. ἐὰν μὲν οὖν ᾖ δυνατὸν παρὰ τοσάσδε λίτρας ἐκπεμφθῆναι, τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἡμῖν ὑπολέλειπται, τοῦτο γενέσθαι παρακαλοῦμέν σε· κἀκεῖνο ἐπαποσταλήσεται ὕστερον· ἐὰν δὲ πᾶσα ᾖ ἀνάγκη ἀθρόον αὐτὸ παραπεμφθῆναι τοῖς θησαυροῖς, ὅπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἠξιώσαμεν, πλατυτέραν ἡμῖν γενέσθαι τὴν προθεσμίαν.