Letter 91: Chrysostom thanks Romanus for keeping friendship alive during the storm and asks for health news.

This too is worthy of you, and of your great, lofty, and disciplined mind: even in the storm of so many events, you have not forgotten our love. You have kept your friendship with us fixed, alive, and unmoved. I learned this clearly from people arriving from there, though I knew it even before anyone told me. I know the firmness of your mind, the steadiness and immovable strength of your judgment. For this reason I give many thanks to your piety, and I ask your Reverence, as a very great favor, to write to us whenever you can. You know how much comfort we receive while living in a foreign land when letters arrive bringing us good news of your health. We deeply desire your piety to be strong and well, because your health is a support, a harbor, and a staff for many, and the starting point for countless good works.

Αʹ. Ῥωμανῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ. Καὶ τοῦτο σὸν, καὶ τῆς μεγάλης σου καὶ ὑψηλῆς καὶ φιλοσόφου γνώμης, τὸ μηδὲ ἐν χειμῶνι τοσούτων πραγμάτων ἐπιλαθέσθαι τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀγάπης, ἀλλὰ μένειν ἀκίνητον καὶ ἀκμάζουσαν διατηροῦντα τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς φιλίαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔγνων μὲν καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἀφικνουμένων σαφῶς, ᾔδειν δὲ καὶ πρὶν ἢ παρ' ἑτέρων μάθω. Οἶδα γάρ σου τὸ στεῤῥὸν καὶ ἀπερίτρεπτον τῆς διανοίας, τὸ πεπηγὸς καὶ ἀκίνητον τῆς γνώμης. ∆ιὸ καὶ πολλὰς ἔχω χάριτας τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ τῇ σῇ, καὶ παρακαλῶ σου τὴν εὐλάβειαν, καὶ ἐν μεγίστης αἰτῶ χάριτος μέρει, τὸ συνεχῶς ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλειν, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ. Οἶσθα γὰρ ὅσην δεχόμεθα παράκλησιν καὶ ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ διατρίβοντες, ὅταν καὶ γράμματα δεξώμεθα τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς ἡμᾶς εὐαγγελιζόμενα. Σφόδρα γὰρ ἐπιθυμοῦμεν καὶ ἐῤῥῶσθαι καὶ ὑγιαίνειν τὴν σὴν θεοσέβειαν, ἐπειδήπερ ἡ ὑγεία ἡ σὴ πολλοῖς στηριγμὸς καὶ λιμὴν καὶ βακτηρία τυγχάνει, καὶ μυρίων κατορθωμάτων ὑπόθεσις.