Formerly I admired the most excellent Hermogenes for the philosophy which I heard was his concern. But now I even love the man, because indeed he recognizes how much and what sort of worth you have. For he is said both to consider you a good man and to regard being together with you as a great thing and not being together with you as a hardship.
Now, then, it falls to others to rejoice with you, but to me to rejoice on both your accounts: with you, because so great an influence is attached to you; and with him, because in loving the man he ought to love he wins esteem by his judgment.
You must, then, being loved, not shrink from helping that man as much as you can in your counsels; and now it is in your power, on behalf of a wronged friend, to keep a friend from going astray. For Nicentius the excellent, whom you praised to us in a letter -- and that letter indeed wrought a friendship for us -- this very man, through whom justice resides among us while violence has departed, and the city is a festival for us, while he was hoping for praise, a penalty has surrounded, grieving us both by the loss -- for Nicentius is poor in our eyes after holding so many offices -- and possessing something more bitter than the loss, the disgrace. For a condemnation is a kind of penalty that has pronounced a verdict of wickedness.
Against wrongdoers, then, let Hermogenes bring a suit -- I am the first to praise his anger; and if he ceases from anger over such matters, I too shall cease from my praises; but this present action is a kind of being led astray and a work of deception, not of the nature of Hermogenes.
Listen: there is a station near the Euphrates, Callinicus is its name; for since Callinicus the sophist was slaughtered here, it became a designation for the place, just as many such namings happened of old on land and many at sea.
This place, then, has an army settled there, which is fed by us -- not by our carrying the provisions to that spot, but elsewhere, and from there it is the law for the governor of the regions around the Euphrates to convey the provisions to Callinicus. But Nicentius, having performed his own duties, pays the penalty for the offenses which others committed -- this is the case of Aulis [an allusion to Iphigenia punished at Aulis for others' faults].
Perhaps, then, I myself have not narrated it badly; but if I have been carried away somewhat, Nicentius will instruct you well. And you, come to the aid of two officials: rescuing the one -- the lesser -- from unjust harm, and turning the other -- the greater -- away from an anger that is not just.
And if he considers the change to be a child's act, let him reckon the change for the worse as base, but the change that undoes any of these wrongs as good, especially when he would be able to keep the assessed sum and to release from the charge the man who is outside it.
For let him exact the gold, but let him exact it from those who deserted their post and, what is more, from those who deceived, who, indulging themselves, declared things that were not so.
For since great spirit dwells in those nurtured of Zeus [an echo of Homer], let there be no impunity for the cheats, so that, with the truth prevailing, no one may be unjustly punished. And in undoing his own vote, let him think of the king of the Cretans, the child of Zeus [Minos], who, going to the cave every ninth year, was not ashamed to change the laws he had established, which it was better should be changed.
**To the same person (358)**
Previously I admired the excellent Hermogenes on account of the philosophy which I heard he pursued. But now I have come to love the man as well, because he recognizes how great and how worthy you are. For he is said to regard you as a good man, to count your company a great blessing, and your absence a heavy burden.
Now while others have reason to congratulate only you, I have reason to congratulate both of you — you, because so great a power is devoted to you, and him, because in loving the man he ought to love, he wins a fine reputation for his judgment.
Since you are so loved, you must not hesitate to benefit him with your counsel in every way you can. And just now you have the opportunity to prevent a friend from committing an injustice against another friend who is being wronged. For that fine man Nicentius — whom you yourself praised to me in a letter, and that very letter forged a friendship between us — this man, through whom justice dwells among us, violence has departed, and our city is like a festival: though he expected praise, a penalty has instead closed in upon him, grievous enough in the financial loss it inflicts — for our Nicentius is a poor man despite holding so many offices — but carrying something still more bitter than the loss itself: disgrace. For a conviction is a penalty that pronounces a verdict of wrongdoing.
Now when Hermogenes brings suit against those who are truly guilty, I am the first to applaud his anger — and should he ever cease his anger against such men, I shall cease my praise. But in the present case, this is a kind of misdirection, the work of deception, not of Hermogenes' true nature.
Hear the facts. There is a military post on the Euphrates; its name is Callinicum — for a sophist named Callinicus was slain there, and so the man became the name of the place, as has often happened both on land and on sea since ancient times.
This garrison has troops stationed in it, and they must be fed by us — not by shipping provisions directly there, but to another location, from which the governor of the Euphrates district is required by law to transport the supplies onward to Callinicum. Now Nicentius, having faithfully discharged his own duties, is being punished for the failures of others — the very thing that happened at Aulis.
Perhaps I have not told the story badly myself, but if I have gone astray in any detail, Nicentius will set you right. Help two officials at once: rescue the lesser one from an unjust penalty, and draw the greater one back from an anger that is not just.
And if Hermogenes considers it beneath him to reverse his decision, let him regard a change for the worse as shameful, but one that undoes an injustice as good — especially when he could still collect the fine while releasing the man who bears no guilt.
Let him exact the gold, by all means — but let him exact it from those who deserted their post, and furthermore from those who deceived him, men who, doing themselves a favor, reported things that were not true.
For since his great wrath over the provisioners exists, let the deceivers enjoy no impunity, so that when truth prevails, no one is punished unjustly. And in reversing his own verdict, let him think of the king of the Cretans, the son of Zeus, who journeyed to the cave every ninth year and was not ashamed to alter whichever of his own laws it was better to alter.
Formerly I admired the most excellent Hermogenes for the philosophy which I heard was his concern. But now I even love the man, because indeed he recognizes how much and what sort of worth you have. For he is said both to consider you a good man and to regard being together with you as a great thing and not being together with you as a hardship.
Now, then, it falls to others to rejoice with you, but to me to rejoice on both your accounts: with you, because so great an influence is attached to you; and with him, because in loving the man he ought to love he wins esteem by his judgment.
You must, then, being loved, not shrink from helping that man as much as you can in your counsels; and now it is in your power, on behalf of a wronged friend, to keep a friend from going astray. For Nicentius the excellent, whom you praised to us in a letter -- and that letter indeed wrought a friendship for us -- this very man, through whom justice resides among us while violence has departed, and the city is a festival for us, while he was hoping for praise, a penalty has surrounded, grieving us both by the loss -- for Nicentius is poor in our eyes after holding so many offices -- and possessing something more bitter than the loss, the disgrace. For a condemnation is a kind of penalty that has pronounced a verdict of wickedness.
Against wrongdoers, then, let Hermogenes bring a suit -- I am the first to praise his anger; and if he ceases from anger over such matters, I too shall cease from my praises; but this present action is a kind of being led astray and a work of deception, not of the nature of Hermogenes.
Listen: there is a station near the Euphrates, Callinicus is its name; for since Callinicus the sophist was slaughtered here, it became a designation for the place, just as many such namings happened of old on land and many at sea.
This place, then, has an army settled there, which is fed by us -- not by our carrying the provisions to that spot, but elsewhere, and from there it is the law for the governor of the regions around the Euphrates to convey the provisions to Callinicus. But Nicentius, having performed his own duties, pays the penalty for the offenses which others committed -- this is the case of Aulis [an allusion to Iphigenia punished at Aulis for others' faults].
Perhaps, then, I myself have not narrated it badly; but if I have been carried away somewhat, Nicentius will instruct you well. And you, come to the aid of two officials: rescuing the one -- the lesser -- from unjust harm, and turning the other -- the greater -- away from an anger that is not just.
And if he considers the change to be a child's act, let him reckon the change for the worse as base, but the change that undoes any of these wrongs as good, especially when he would be able to keep the assessed sum and to release from the charge the man who is outside it.
For let him exact the gold, but let him exact it from those who deserted their post and, what is more, from those who deceived, who, indulging themselves, declared things that were not so.
For since great spirit dwells in those nurtured of Zeus [an echo of Homer], let there be no impunity for the cheats, so that, with the truth prevailing, no one may be unjustly punished. And in undoing his own vote, let him think of the king of the Cretans, the child of Zeus [Minos], who, going to the cave every ninth year, was not ashamed to change the laws he had established, which it was better should be changed.
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.