To Clematius. (359/60)
It was no small thing to hear others bring reports about you -- reports we had hoped for, and some that exceeded our hopes. But the crowning achievement, as they say, was this: the admirable Encratius arriving in our city singing your praises.
He has an eye for a governor's virtue keener than most, and he is far from flattery, a friend of truth, and gifted with an eloquence suited to praising fine deeds. The moment he met me, he launched into an account of your accomplishments, adding a prayer that your term in office might be long -- not because he wished you to toil, but because he wished the cities not to suffer.
He also reported your longing for my writings, and said he was embarrassed that he had none to give when you asked. He urged me to write, and I did not refuse.
He himself stays with us -- we are competing with his homeland for the man. But his brother wished to visit you with a letter from me, and he shall. Welcome the visitor for three reasons: his brother, his character, and my letter.
It was no small thing to hear others bring reports about you -- reports we had hoped for, and some that exceeded our hopes. But the crowning achievement, as they say, was this: the admirable Encratius arriving in our city singing your praises.
He has an eye for a governor's virtue keener than most, and he is far from flattery, a friend of truth, and gifted with an eloquence suited to praising fine deeds. The moment he met me, he launched into an account of your accomplishments, adding a prayer that your term in office might be long -- not because he wished you to toil, but because he wished the cities not to suffer.
He also reported your longing for my writings, and said he was embarrassed that he had none to give when you asked. He urged me to write, and I did not refuse.
He himself stays with us -- we are competing with his homeland for the man. But his brother wished to visit you with a letter from me, and he shall. Welcome the visitor for three reasons: his brother, his character, and my letter.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.