Letter 477: Terentianus urges Tiberianus to come to Alexandria and settle unfinished business.

Claudius Terentianus sends very many greetings to Claudius Tiberianus, his father and lord. Before anything else, I pray that you are well and successful, which is what I wish for you. I make obeisance for you every day before lord Sarapis and the gods who share his temple. I received your letter and learned from it that you too had sailed upstream in the boat you found going toward the Arsinoite nome. I want you to know that after you left I was asked to register the document, but I was at a loss because I needed the person in whose name the document was drawn up, so that he could enter it. Without him, I cannot register it. I also found Papirius Apollinarius and told him what I had heard from the legal officials. He told me to leave the matter until the other man could come down, if that proved possible. Since you are neglecting your own affairs by staying in the country, come to Alexandria, where I have been waiting. You went upcountry and are neglecting them completely; even when you were here, you did not finish settling them. If you sail down, the damaged lines say that the matter can still be done. You write that you sent something through Anubion, but he does not know that you wrote to me here and has given me nothing. From the day you went up until today, this is the first time I have received both the letter and the small basket, through Aurelius. Please, my lord father, take care to write to Anubion so that he does not disregard me. I ask you, if you can, to send me sandals as quickly as possible, because I get a great deal of use from them. You know that we are working hard now because we are suppressing the uproar and disorder in the city. I want you to know that after I had already written the lines above, the basket was brought to me by Anubion's father, and now at last I have it. Because I have found no one to send and because I am weak from illness, please settle your own unfinished business quickly and sail down to me. The situation now is serious, and I may need someone else to feed me, as you will hear when you arrive in the city. Isidoros, Sempronius, and all who truly love you send many greetings; so does Zotike, whom you should bring down with you when you come, since you know that we are going to need her here. Greet all who love you, each by name. I pray that you may be well for many years.

[Κλαύ]δ̣[ιο]ς̣ Τ̣[ερεντιανὸς Κλαυδίῳ] Τ[ιβ]ερ[ι]ανῶι τῷ π[ατρὶ] καὶ κυρί[ῳ πλεῖστα χαίρειν]. πρὸ μὲν π[ά]ντων ε[ὔχομ]αί σε [ὑ]για[ίνειν καὶ εὐτυχεῖν, ὅ] μοι εὐκ[τ]αῖόν ἐστιν, τὸ̣ π[ροσ]κ̣ύ̣ν̣[η]μ̣ά̣ [σου - ca.11 -][ πο]ι̣ο̣[ύμ]ε̣νος καθʼ ἑκάστην 5 ἡ[μέρ]αν παρὰ [τῷ κυρίῳ Σαράπιδι κ]α̣[ὶ τ]οῖς συννάοις [θ]εο[ῖ]ς. ἐ[κομ]ισάμην σο[υ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐξ ἧς ἐπέγνων ἀ]ναπεπλευκέναι καὶ [σὲ ἐ]ν ᾧ εὕρη[κας πλοίῳ ὑπάγοντι εἰς Ἀρσινοεί]την. γεινώσκειν σε θέλω ἀπεληλ[υθότα με] [παρακλη]θ[έ]ν̣τ̣α̣ τὸ γράμμα κα- ταχωρίσαι καὶ [ἠπορηκότα με δεό]μ̣ε̣ν̣ο̣[ν] α̣ὐ̣τ̣οῦ οὗ ἐστιν εἰς τὸ 10 ὄν[ο]μα τὸ γράμ[μα γεγραμμένο]ν̣ ἵνα [κατ]α̣γ̣ρ̣άψ̣ῃ. χωρὶς γὰρ αὐτ[ο]ῦ οὐ δύνομ[αι] [ αὐτὸ κατα]χωρίσα[ι]. εὗρον δὲ καὶ Παπεῖ- ριν [Ἀ]πολλινᾶρι[ν ᾧ ἐδήλωσα ἃ] ἤκου[σα τ]ῶν νομικῶν, καὶ λε- γέ [μοι] ἄφες σ̣[ὺ ἕως οὗ αὐτ]ῷ̣ ἐὰν ἦν δυ̣[ν]α̣τὸν καταβῆναι. ἐπ[ει]δὴ σὺ τὰ [σὰ ὀλιγωρεῖς ἐν] τῇ χώρ[ᾳ] μένων, ἐν Ἀλεξαν- 15 δρε[ίᾳ] ἀναμί[ναντός] [ μου, γενοῦ ἐν] Ἀλ[εξ]ανδρείᾳ. ἀναβὰς εἰς τὴ[ν] χώραν ἀ[μελεῖς ὅλως αὐτῶ]ν̣, ἀ[λλὰ καὶ] ὧδε ὢν ἐκπλέξε αὐτ[ὰ] ἠμέλη[σας - ca.10 -] [ -ca.?- ] ἂν καταπλεύ- σῃς δύναται γε[νέσθαι -ca.?-]ος α̣ν̣[ -ca.?- ]βη ἀδιαφορῖ. γρά- φις μοι πεπ[ομφέναι -ca.?-]ον διὰ Ἀνουβίωνος, οὐ δὲ 20 οἶδ[έν] σε γ̣ρ̣ά̣ψ̣[αντά μοι ὧδε] κ̣[αὶ] ἐ̣μοὶ οὐδὲν δέδωκεν. ἀφʼ ἧ[ς] ἀνέβης ἕω[ς] σ̣ή̣[μερον π]ρώτιστα τὴν ἐπιστολὴν καὶ τ[ὸ] καλάθιον κεκό[μισμαι δ]ιὰ Αὐρηλίου, καὶ μελησά[τ]ω σοι, [κ]ύριε πατή[ρ, γρ]ά̣ψ̣[αι Ἀνουβί]ω̣νε̣ι μὴ ἐξουδονήσῃ με [ -ca.?- ]ειδ[- ca.14 -] [ -ca.?- ]ελθεῖν. ἄλλη 25 γὰρ χάρις ἐστὶ [- ca.12 -] [ -ca.?- ]. οὔπω γὰρ ε̣[ἰ]ς̣ π[ρό]σωπον [ -ca.?- ]ελθεῖν διακενῆς. καὶ ἐρω[τ]ῶ σε ἂν δύνῃ [μοι ταχύτ]ε̣ρον πέμψαι ὑπόδημα ἐπὶ πο[λλ]ὰ̣ ὀνε̣[ίναμαι] [ αὐτῶν]. ο̣ἶδ̣ε̣ς̣ γὰρ ὅτι κοπιῶ- μεν ἄρτι δ[ιό]τ̣[ι] κα[θαιροῦμε]ν τ[ὸ]ν θόρυβον καὶ ἀ- 30 καταστασίαν τῆς πόλ[εως. καλῶς] πο̣ι̣ή̣[σ]ε̣ι̣[ς] κ̣α[τ]απ[έ]μ- ψ[α]ι μοι [ -ca.?- ] καὶ Γεμέ[λ]λῳ τρ̣ί̣α [ -ca.?- ]. [γ]εινώσκειν σε θέλω μ[ετὰ] τὸ ἄν̣[ω ἤδ]η̣ [σ]ο̣[ι] γ̣ε̣[γ]ρ̣αμ̣[μ]έ̣[ν]ον ἐνηνεγμένον μοι θ[ -ca.?- ] [ ὑ]πὸ τοῦ π̣[α]τ̣ρ̣[ὸ]ς Ἀνου[βί]ωνος τὸ καλάθιον, καὶ τὸ 35 τέ[λο]ς̣ νοῖν π̣ά̣[ρεσ]τ̣ι̣ν ἐ̣[μο]ί̣. ἐ̣π̣[ει]δ̣ὴ οὐχ̣ εὕ̣ρ̣ηκα ἐγὼ πέμψαι διὰ τὸ νωθρε[ύεσ]θαί με, καλῶς οὖν [π]οιήσεις τὰ σὰ μετέ[ωρ]α ἐκπλέ[ξαι τ]αχέω[ς] κα[ὶ] καταπλε[ῦ]σαι πρὸς ἐμέ. ὁ γὰρ και̣[ρὸ]ς ἄρτι ἄ[λλ]ος ἐστιν κἂν δ̣[έ]ο̣[ν] ε̣[ἵνα] τ̣ρ̣αφῶ ὑπὸ ἄλλο̣[υ, ὡς] ἀκού\σ/εις π̣[αραγ]εινόμεν[ος] ἐπ[ὶ τῆς πόλεως. ἀσ]πάζεταί σε 40 πο[λ]λὰ Ἰσίδω[ρος] καὶ Σεμπρών[ιος καὶ] πάντες οἱ φιλοῦν- τέ[ς σ]ε ἐξ ἀλη[θεί]ας [π]αντ[ε]λ̣[ῶς καὶ] Ζωτικὴν ἣν ἐρχό- μ[ενο]ς κατεν[έγ]κεις μετὰ σο[ῦ συνει]δὼς ὅτι μέλλομεν α[ὐτῆς] χρῄζει[ν ἐν]θάδε. ἄσπ[ασαι πά]ντες τοὺς φιλοῦν- τέ[ς] [ σε] κ[ατʼ] ὄν[ομα. ἐρρῶσ]θ[αί σε] εὔχομαι πολ- 45[λοῖς χ]ρό[νοις].