When I first heard you'd gone all the way to the Danube itself, where the emperor displayed his arms and humbled the pride of the Scythians [barbarian tribes beyond the frontier], I didn't write -- there was no one to carry a letter there.
Then we heard simultaneously that you'd returned to the great city [Constantinople] and that you held an office that was no longer minor -- since you hold it, that is. Perhaps Achilles is adorned by his full armor and needs the craftsmanship of Hephaestus, but rest assured: even if the son of Thetis had donned inferior equipment, he wouldn't have seemed any worse -- he'd simply have made the armor look better.
Once we learned of your appointment, we kept expecting you to arrive any day. You seemed close, and letters seemed unnecessary. But since you keep delaying, you've driven us back to writing.
Either show yourself -- for the gods' sake -- or if you're staying because you're occupied with better things, let us know. And be kind to Polianus, both for his other qualities and for carrying this letter.
**To Priscian** (359/60)
At first, when I heard you had gone all the way to the Danube itself — where the emperor, by displaying his arms, crushed the pride of the Scythians — I did not write, for there was no one to carry a letter there.
Then word reached me simultaneously that you had returned to the Great City and that you held an office no longer insignificant, since it is you who hold it. For perhaps Achilles is adorned by his full armor, and the craft of Hephaestus is needed — but know well that even if the son of Thetis had put on inferior gear, he himself would have seemed no lesser, while that gear he would have made appear finer.
So when we learned of the post you had assumed, we kept expecting you to arrive at any moment, that you were only a short way from our sight, and that a letter was unnecessary. But since you delay, you drive me back to writing once more.
So, by Zeus, either appear before us in person, or if you remain where you are, let us know that you are occupied with better things — and cherish Polianus both for his other qualities and for the sake of this letter.
When I first heard you'd gone all the way to the Danube itself, where the emperor displayed his arms and humbled the pride of the Scythians [barbarian tribes beyond the frontier], I didn't write -- there was no one to carry a letter there.
Then we heard simultaneously that you'd returned to the great city [Constantinople] and that you held an office that was no longer minor -- since you hold it, that is. Perhaps Achilles is adorned by his full armor and needs the craftsmanship of Hephaestus, but rest assured: even if the son of Thetis had donned inferior equipment, he wouldn't have seemed any worse -- he'd simply have made the armor look better.
Once we learned of your appointment, we kept expecting you to arrive any day. You seemed close, and letters seemed unnecessary. But since you keep delaying, you've driven us back to writing.
Either show yourself -- for the gods' sake -- or if you're staying because you're occupied with better things, let us know. And be kind to Polianus, both for his other qualities and for carrying this letter.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.