Letter 14: I received your earlier letter with more pleasure than you can imagine.

To Calliopius. (388) Which of the gods or spirits made the universally admired Tatianus gentle toward us? Tell me, Calliopius -- you know the man's ways well. If you will not say, I shall have to resort to prophecy. I could not identify the god, the way Homer recognized that Athena came from Hera to Achilles and restrained his anger. But the man through whom the gods accomplished this I have discovered most readily. He is a fellow citizen of mine, one of the city's leading men, who drank from the same bowl as I in the gardens of the Muses. First he argued cases, now he writes imperial correspondence -- both under emperors, the father and the son. He has perhaps done us great wrong -- or perhaps no wrong at all, taking no small pride that your reputation was eclipsed by that man's cleverness, and what is still more formidable, with Themistius coming to his defense. His rhetorical power we saw in the charges he brought; his humanity, in the help he promised to give.

**To Calliopius** (388) Which of the gods or spirits has made Tatianus — admired everywhere — gracious toward us? You tell me, Calliopius, for you know his affairs well. But if you will not say, I must resort to divination. The god himself I could not discover — just as Homer knew that Athena came from Hera to Achilles to restrain his anger — but the man through whom the gods accomplished this, him I have found out most excellently. He is a fellow citizen of mine, a leading man of the city, one who drank from the same bowl as I in the gardens of the Muses. First he pleaded cases in court, and now he writes letters — both in the service of emperors, the father and the son — having perhaps done me a great wrong, or perhaps not even a small one. He takes no small pride in the fact that your reputation was made brilliant by that man's cleverness, and — what is still more formidable — with Themistius lending his support. His rhetorical skill we saw in the charges he brought; his humanity, in what he promised to do on our behalf.

Καλλιοπίω. (388) Τίς θεῶν ἢ δαιμόνων τὸν πανταχῇ θαυμαζόμενον Τα- τιανὸν ἥμερον ἡμῖν ἐποίησεν; φράζε σύ, Καλλιόπιε· σὺ γὰρ τὰ τοῦδε καλῶς οἶσθα. ἂν δ’ οὐκ ἐθέλῃς λέγειν, ἀνάγκη ἐμὲ μαντεύεσθαι καὶ τὸν μὲν θεὸν εὑρεῖν οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην, ὥσπερ Ὅμηρος ἔγνω τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν παρὰ τῆς Ἥρας ἐλθοῦσαι τῷ Ἀχιλλεῖ, ἣ τὴν ὀργὴν ἐπέσχεν αὐτῷ τὸν δὲ ἄνδρα, δι’ οὗ ταῦτα ἔπραξαν οἱ θεοί, κάλλιστ’ ἀνεῦρον. ἔστι δ’ οὗτος πολίτης τ’ ἐμὸς καὶ τῆς πόλεως τὰ πρῶτα καὶ ἐκ ταὐτοῦ μοι κρατῆρος ἐν Μουσῶν κήποις πιὼν καὶ πρῶτον μὲν δίκας λέ- γῶν, νῦν δ’ ἐπιστολὰς γράφων ἄμφω παρὰ βασιλεῦσιν, τῷ μὲν πατρί, τῷ δὲ υἱεῖ, σφόδρα ἠδικηκώς ἴσως δὲ οὐδὲ μικρὸν † ἀδικῶν οὐ μικρὸν φρονῶν <τῷ> σὰ περιφανθῆναι ἀπὸ ἐκείνου δεινότητος καὶ τὸ ἔτι δεινότερον, Θεμιστίου παραβοη- θοῦντος. τὴν μὲν οὖν ῥητορείαν ἐν οἷς ἐνεκάλεσεν ἐΜεν, τὴν δὲ φιλανθρωπίαν έν οἷς ἐπικουρήσειν ὑπέσχετο.