Letter 214: I know that you welcome frankness, so I shall not waste your time with flattery before coming to the point.
To Eusebius. (360)
Let the wild beasts be preserved, let no one slaughter them, let someone provide the spectacle without that, and let the master not be lord of his own property.
Such is the letter that has come from the prefect. And we, who used to admire the man for his other qualities, are astonished at this novelty...
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Εὐσεβίῳ. (360)
Τὰ θηρία σωζέσθω καὶ σφαττέτω μηδεὶς καὶ
πλὴν τούτου παρεχέτω τις τὴν θέαν καὶ μὴ ἔστω τῶν
αὑτοῦ κύριος ὁ δεσπότης.
ταυτὶ μὲν ἐπιστεῖλαι ῥᾷστον
καὶ ἔτι γε τούτων ἀτοπώτερα, ἀλλ’ εἰ τὸ πρὸς τοσαύτην ἐκ-
πίπτειν ἀτοπίαν πρὸς τῆς σῆς ἐστι διανοίας καὶ τῶν ἐλπίδων
ἃς παρέστησας ἐξέταζε. δεῖ γὰρ οὐ τῷ ποιεῖν τι μέγα φρο-
νεῖν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ποιεῖν ἃ προσήκει. τὸ παρὸν δὲ οἷον ὅρα.
ὁ
ἀνεψιὸς οὑμὸς μανίᾳ τὴν λειτουργίαν ταύτην δὴ τὴν βαρεῖαν
ἤρατο καὶ ψηφιεῖται Δημοσθένης ὀρθῶς εἰρῆσθαί μοι μανίαν
τὴν πὲρ δύναμιν φιλοτιμίαν.
πρὸς γὰρ τῷ τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν
αὑτοῦ κενῶσαι χρυσίου καὶ τὰ τῶν φίλων πολλῶν οὐκ ὀλίγα
προσέθηκε πάντα πανταχόθεν ἀγείρων θηρία τε καὶ τοὺς πρὸς
ταῦτα μαχομένους.
καὶ ἦν μὲν σωφρονοῦντος πρὸς τοσοῦ-
τον χρόνου τὴν δαπάνην ἐκτεῖναι καὶ πολλάκις τοῦτο, παρ-
ῃνέσαμεν· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡμῖν οὐκ ἠβουλήθη, τῇ γε ἀνάγκῃ πείθε-
ται καὶ καλεῖ τὰς πόλεις ὡς ἐπιθήσων πέρας, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐᾷς.
τί γάρ, εἰπέ μοι, χρήσεται; παύσει τὴν σύνοδον κηρύξας
μένειν κατὰ χώραν καὶ τὸν χειμῶνα ἀναμένειν; καὶ τί ἂν γέ-
νοιτ᾿ ἂν αἴσχιον ἢ δαπανηρότερον; ὄντι ποίου δὲ ἀδικήματος
ταύτην λήψεται δίκην;
ἀλλὰ καλεῖν μὲν δεήσει καὶ τἄλλα
ποιεῖν. εὔχεσθαι δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἄρκτων καὶ κελεύειν μηδὲ ῥάβδῳ
παίειν; καὶ τίς ἡ χάρις; ἡ ποῖος οὐ γέλως; ποῦ δὲ ἄξια ταῦτα
τοῦ στεφάνου; τίς δαὶ οἴσει τοὺς κλώζοντας ἢ συρίττοντας;
κεντεῖν δὲ ἀξιούντων τί φήσει; πότερον ὡς οὐ βούλοιτ’ ἄν; ἢ
τὸν κεκωλυκότα; ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν οὐκ ἐκείνῳ, τὸ δὲ οὐ σοὶ καλόν.
ἄγε οὖν, ὦ φίλος, ἰῶ τὸ τραῦμα καὶ μήτε ἄνδρας ἑταίρους
ποίει κακῶς μήτε πόλιν ἐν ᾗ παιδείας μετέλαβες. καὶ γὰρ ἃ
μέν ἐστι γοργὰ τῶν θηρίων καὶ ἄφυκτα, δῶρον δέδοται τῷ
βασιλεῖ καὶ τὰ τοῦ γενναίου περιμένει βέλη, τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ τῶν
ἐκείνου μὲν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀνάξια, δήμῳ δ’ ἂν ἡδονὴν ἐνέγκαι.
γράφε δὴ βελτίω καὶ μὴ τὴν ἄμπελον ἡ χάραξ προδίδου.
σὺ γὰρ δὴ καὶ παρ’ ἄλλων φερόμενον κακὸν ἠλπίζου λύσειν.
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