Letter 235: You call Hyperechius my son in one breath and say you are grateful to me for what you have done for him in the next.

To Maximus. (360) In one and the same breath you call my son Hyperechius and you say that you are grateful to me for what has been done for him. But of these two statements either the former is not true, or the latter has no reason in it; or rather, since the former is true, the latter becomes pointless, unless indeed I too ought to be grateful to you for what has been done for this very same person. But you were doing nothing remarkable in doing what you have in fact done for one who is your son and such a son; and I, considering him my own and a thoroughly good man, in doing anything natural would not seek any reward for it. But I will tell you to whom both you and I owe gratitude for the goodwill shown toward him. The people of holy Ancyra—for it would be fitting for that city to hear this title with which Homer adorns Athens—these inhabitants of hers are benefactors both to me and to you, and worthy of garlands and of prayers. And indeed I pray to all the gods and goddesses to give them earth bearing fruit in the greatest abundance, and the air to remain within its due measures, and the women to bear children resembling their parents, and the city to love eloquence as it does now, and that nothing of the things that bring happiness be absent from them—because, after they had received me kindly when I passed through their midst, they have now honored me still more greatly by what they did to bring the young man to glory. And do not suppose that I am saying this in the sense that they were leading to glory one who was worthless; rather that they were not assailing the truth with envy, but the citizens proved themselves superior to envy by loving a fellow citizen. For this they ought to be thanked. Now then, the things that come from me toward them are prayers on their behalf and praises bestowed upon them; but it lies within your power to repay them with deeds as well. And though you render every service, do not yet consider that you have paid the whole debt. Know, however, that our city too feels grateful to that city; for it considers the latter's judgment concerning this man to be a testimony to itself of its own superior worth. Your love of honor toward your son, then, I did not marvel at; for, having sense, you made into a father's gift those things which he was later going to possess by law. But I do marvel that, although there are among you many daughters of nobles who hold the city together, you have nonetheless taken no thought how you might most quickly see your child's children. For even if you are already well called a grandfather, still it would be good for you to be called a grandfather in this way as well—and another might have said, in a finer way.

Μαξίμῳ. (360) Ὁμοῦ παῖδά τε ἐμὸν Ὑπερέχιον καλεῖς καὶ χάριν μοι φὴς ift τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν εἰδέναι. τούτοιν δὲ ἢ τὸ πρότερον οὐκ ἀληθὲς ἡ θάτερον οὐκ ἔχον λόγον, μᾶλλον δέ, ἐπειδὴ τὸ πρότερον ἀλη- θἐς, μάταιον γίγνεται τὸ δεύτερον, εἰ μὴ καὶ αὐτὸν δεῖ σοὶ χάριν εἰδέναι τῶν εἰς τοῦτον αὐτόν. ἀλλ’ oixs σὺ θαυμα- στὸν οὐδὲν ἐποίεις ποιῶν ἃ δὴ πεποίηκας εἰς υἱόν τε καὶ τοι- οῦτον ἐγώ τε νομίσας υἱὸν ἐμὸν πάντα ἀγαθὸν εἰκός τι ποιῶν οὐκ ἂν τούτου μισθὸν ζητοίην, ἀλλ’ οἷς δεῖ χάριν ἐμέ τε καὶ σὲ τῆς εἰς τοῦτον εὐνοίας ἔχειν, ἐρῶ. οἱ τῆς ἱερᾶς Ἀγκύ- ρας, πρέποι γὰρ ἂν αὐτῇ τοῦτ’ ἀκούειν, ᾧ κοσμεῖ τὰς Ἀθήνας Ὅμηρος, οὗτοι δὴ οἱ ταύτης οἰκήτορες ἐμοί τε εὐεργέται καὶ σοὶ καὶ στεφάνων ἄξιοι καὶ εὐχῶν. καὶ δῆτα εὔχομαι τοῖς θεοῖς πᾶσι καὶ πάσαις γῆν τε αὐτοῖς καρπὸν ὅτι πλεῖστον διδόναι καὶ ἀέρα μένειν ἐν τοῖς μέτροις καὶ γυναῖκας τίκτειν ὅμοια γονεῦσι καὶ λόγων ὥσπερ νῦν τὴν πόλιν ἐρᾶν καὶ τῶν εὐδαι- μονίαν φερόντων ἀπεῖναι μηδέν, ὅτι με ἰδόντες ἡμέρως, ἡνίκα δι’ αὐτῶν ᾔειν, νῦν τετιμήκασι μειζόνως οἷς ἔπραξαν τῷ νεα- νίσκῳ εἰς δόξαν. καὶ μή με οἴου τοῦτο λέγειν, ὡς ὄντα φαῦλον ἦγον εἰς δόξαν, ἀλλ’ ὅτι μὴ φθόνῳ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔβαλ- λον, ἐγένοντο δὲ τοῦ φθόνου κρείττους πολῖται πολίτην ἀγα- πῶντες. τούτου χάριν αὐτοῖς εἰδέναι χρή. τὰ μὲν οὖν παρ’ ἐμοῦ πρὸς αὐτοὺς εὐχαί τε ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν καὶ κατ’ αὐτῶν ἔπαι- νοι, σοὶ δὲ ἔνεστι τὸ καὶ δι’ ἔργων ἀμείβεσθαι. καὶ πᾶν ὑπουρ- γῶν μηδέπω ἡγήσῃ τὸ πᾶν ἐκτετικέναι ἴσθι μέντοι καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν πόλιν εἰδέναι τῇ πόλει χάριν οἴεται γὰρ τὴν περὶ τοῦτον ἐκείνης γνώμην μαρτυρίαν αὑτῇ τοῦ βελτίονος εἶναι. τὴν μὲν οὖν φιλοτιμίαν σου τὴν εἰς τὸν υἱὸν οὐκ ἐθαύμασα, νοῦν Ψὰρ ἔχων ἃ ὕστερον ἔμελλεν ἕξειν τῷ νόμῳ, ταῦτ’ ἐποίησας δῶρον πατρός, θαυμάζω δὲ ὅτι πολλαὶ μὲν παρ’ ὑμῖν κοῦραι ἀριστήων, οἳ τὴν πόλιν συνέχουσι, οὐ δ’ οὐκ ἐφρόντισας ὅπως ἴδης τάχιστα τοῦ παιδὸς παῖδας. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἤδη πάππος εὖ ποιῶν κέκλησαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταύτῃ σε πάπ- πον κληθῆναι καλόν, ἄλλος δ’ ἂν ἔφησε, κάλλιον.