Letter 132: I have many reasons to respect Mocimus: he's been a friend since childhood, he never shrank from any task my uncle...
To Priscianus. (359/60)
I have many reasons to hold Mocimus in respect, for he has been my comrade since boyhood, and he was one of those who, when my uncle gave the order, shrank from nothing; and now he labors together with us in all the same matters as he did for him.
A kinsman of this man, Maras by name, is among those who serve you, and his task is to write at speed, and his hand has won him a place in the profession of letters. I should therefore wish the man to enjoy the benefit of your office for his advancement.
As for us, ever since you set sail, we have been wrapped in mist and cloud. But there is need of keen radiance for those who mean not to miss their way.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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.
Latin / Greek Original
Πρισκιανῷ. (359/60)
Πολλαχόθεν αἰδοῦμαι Μόκιμον, καὶ γὰρ ἐκ παιδὸς ἑταῖ-
ρος καὶ τῶν οὐδὲν ὀκνησάντων ἐπιτάττοντος τοῦ θείου, καὶ
νῦν ἡμῖν ὅσαπερ ἐκείνῳ συμπονεῖ.
τούτου συγγενής, Μά-
ρας ὄνομα αὐτῷ, τῶν σοὶ διακονούντων, ἔργον δὲ αὐτῷ γρά-
φειν εἰς τάχος, καὶ πεποίηκεν αὐτὸν ἡ χεὶρ ἐν λόγῳ. βου-
λοίμην ἂν οὖν τῆς σῆς ἀρχῆς ἀπολαῦσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον εἰς
ἐπίδοσιν.
ἡμεῖς δέ, ἀφ’ οὗπερ ἀπῆρας, ἠέρι καὶ νεφέ-
λῇ κεκαλυμμένοι. δεῖ δὲ αὐγῆς ὀξείας τοῖς. μέλλουσιν οὐχ
ἁμαρτήσεσθαι τῆς ὁδοῦ.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern libanius retranslated v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/First1KGreek/blob/master/volume_xml/libanius_10.xml
Related Letters
I know. "Why do you tell me what I already know?
So you will not collect taxes twice, yet you keep asking for letters on matters about which you already have...
The man who brings this letter is trustworthy and deserves your attention.
Theodotus and Charisius are brothers, and their profession is the same.
You know Maeonius the copyist.