Letter 137: The inheritance is a fine one, and I accept it -- and neither rhetorical cleverness nor forgery of documents will...
The inheritance is a fine one, and I accept it -- and neither rhetorical cleverness nor forgery of documents will take it from me. You honor me no less by remembering my uncle than by choosing to love me, since the seed of your friendship comes from him -- a man who by his devotion drew others to love me too.
When I try to calculate what favor I've ever done you, I come up empty. But you give me one by claiming I have, and you'll give more besides. For my part, I'll pray for you -- that's within my power.
And how could your hospitality gifts fail to bring pleasure, coming as they do from a good man and a steadfast friend?
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Μαρκελλίνῳ. (359/60)
Καλός γε ὁ κλῆρος καὶ διαδέχομαι καὶ τοῦτον οὔτε λό-
γων ἀφαιρήσεταί με δεινότης οὔτε μίμησις γραμμάτων. σὺ δ’
οὐχ ἥττω μοι χαρίζῃ τοῦ θείου μεμνημένος ἢ φιλεῖν ἐμὲ προ-
αἱρούμενος, ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο παρ’ ἐκείνου μοι τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ
δι’ ὧν προσέκειτο καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀναπείθοντος φιλεῖν.
χά-
ριν δὲ ἐγὼ μὲν ἥντινα ἔδωκά σοι λογιζόμενος οὐχ εὗρον, σὺ
δὲ ἐμοὶ δίδως τῷ φάσκειν ἔχειν, δώσεις δὲ καὶ ἄλλας. ἐγὼ δέ
σοι συνεύξομαι, τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ ἐμὴ δύναμις.
τὰ ξένια δὲ
πῶς οὐκ ἔμελλεν ἡδονὴν οἴσειν ἀνδρός τε ὄντα χρηστοῦ καὶ
βεβαίου φίλου;
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