Letter 247: I will not hesitate to speak to you about justice -- for justice is your passion, and you would be annoyed not at...

To Honoratus. (358/359?) I will not hesitate to speak to you about justice -- for justice is your passion, and you would be annoyed not at those who speak up for it, but at anyone who could speak up and kept silent. Even Rhadamanthys, I think, was glad whenever he was called upon to defend the justice for which he was famous -- because doing so made justice stronger [Rhadamanthys was one of the mythical judges of the underworld]. If you knew the rest of Olympius's circumstances as well as you know his character, you would never have allowed his persecutors their way, and I would have had no need for this letter. But that he is a good man, you can learn from many sources. First, from the Macedonians, who pray for a governor like him but have never been able to get one. Those who could tell you the rest do not want to -- it perhaps profits them to keep the matter hidden -- but I will explain. This Olympius, whom you have already benefited twice (since you have governed us twice, and perhaps a third term will come), was formerly enrolled in the Roman senate [the senate of Rome]. Only yesterday, so to speak, did he become one of yours [enrolled in a provincial council]. Now he is being harassed over an old tax assessment -- not because he owes it (how could he, since he did not yet belong to your jurisdiction at the time?), but because he shares a name with some other Olympius. He should hardly be made to pay for that -- he did not, after all, persuade his parents to give him the name. First, my good sir, please sort out this confusion. Then, in assessing the tax burden, do not let the load be greater than the ship can bear. The man who is present and wealthy should not pay less while the man who is absent, even if he is not wealthy, carries more. In such matters one must look at the measure of a man's estate, not at other considerations. Olympius has every fine quality in abundance, except money.

Ὁνωράτῳ. (358/59?) Οὐκ ὀκνήσω σοι περὶ τῶν δικαίων διαλεχθῆναι, ταῦτα γὰρ τὰ σὰ παιδικά, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἄχθοιο τοῖς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν λέ- γουσιν, ἀλλ’ εἴ τις ἔχων εἰπεῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τι σιγῴη. δοκεῖ δέ μοι καὶ ὁ Ῥαδάμανδθυς χαίρειν, ὁπότε καλοῖτο τῷ δικαίῳ βοηθεῖν, ἐφ’ ᾧ δόξαν εἶχεν, ὅτι ἄρα τὸ δίκαιον ἰσχυρὸν ποιεῖ. εἰμὲν οὖν ὥσπερ περὶ τῶν Ὀλυμπίου τρόπων οὕτως ἐτύγχα- νες ἀκηκοὼς καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων πραγμάτων, οὔτ’ ἂν αὐτὸς ἐπέτρεπες τοῖς ἐπηρεάζουσιν ἡμῖν τ’ οὐδὲν ἂν ἔδει τοιαύτης ἐπιστολῆς· νῦν δ’ ὡς μὲν ἀγαθός, πολλαχόθεν ἔχεις μαθεῖν. καὶ πρῶτόν γε παρὰ τῶν Μακεδόνων, οἳ τούτῳ προσόμοιον ἄρχοντα λαβεῖν εὔχονται μέν, λαβεῖν δὲ οὐ δεδύνηνται. παρ’ ὧν δ’ ἂν ἦν σοι τἄλλα μαθεῖν, οὐκ ἐθέλουσι διδάσκειν, λυσι- τελεῖ γὰρ ἴσως αὐτοῖς τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀφανίζειν, ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ δηλώσω. Ὀλύμπιος οὗτος, ὃν δὶς εὖ πεποίηκας, δὶς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἦρξας, ἥξει δὲ ἴσως καὶ ἡ τρίτη, πρότερον μὲν εἰς τὸ Ῥωμαίων ἐτέλει συνέδριον, χθὲς δὲ ὡς εἰπεῖν γέγονεν ὑμέτερος. ἔπειθ’ ὑπὲρ ἀρχαίας ἐνοχλεῖται φορᾶς, οὐχ ὅτι ὀφείλει, πῶς γὰρ ὅ γε οὔ- πω τότε προσήκων ὑμῖν; ἀλλ’ ὅτι ὁμώνυμός ἐστιν Ὀλυμπίῳ τινί. τούτου δὲ οὐκ ἂν ἄξιος εἴη δοῦναι δίκην οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἔπεισε τοὺς γονεῖς θέσθαι αὑτῷ τοὔνομα. πρῶτον μὲν δὴ ταύτην, ὦ δαιμόνιε, τὴν σύγχυσιν ἀξίου διορίζειν. ἔπειτα ἐν ταῖς φοραῖς μὴ μεῖζον ἔστω τῆς νεὼς τὸ φοτίον μηδ᾿ ὁ μὲν παρὼν πλουτῶν ἧττον, ὁ δὲ ἀπών, εἰ καὶ μὴ πλουτεῖ, φερέτω πλέον. ἐν γὰρ τοῖς τοιούτοις εἰς τὸ μέτρον τῆς οὐσίας βλεπτέον, οὐκ εἰς ἐκεῖνα. τῷ δὲ Ὀλυμπίῳ πάντα καλὰ καὶ μεγάλα πλὴν χρημάτων. ἦν γὰρ δὴ καὶ πατὴρ αὐτῷ δίκαιος καὶ ταῦτα ὢν δυνατός τε καὶ πολλῶν πατήρ, ἀλλ’ ὁ τρόπος οὐδ’ ὑπὸ τῆς πολυπαιδίας ἐγένετο χείρων. ὅν μοι δοκεῖ μούμενος Ὀλύμπιος ἐν τῇ Μακεδόνων ἀρχῇ γενέσθαι πενέστε- ρος αὐτοὺς δὲ ἐκείνους ἐποίησεν εὐπορωτέρους. ὥστε εἴ τις αὐτὸν προσείποι σὸν μαθητήν, οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοι. καὶ γὰρ ἐν σοὶ ταῦτα πάλαι τε ἦν καὶ νῦν ὁρᾶται. τούτῳ οὖν δεό- μεθα σύμμετρον εἶναι τὴν φοράν, κἄν τις εἰς τὸ λειτουργεῖν ἄγη νῦν, διακωλύειν τοῦ νόμου μεμνημένον, ὃς τοῖς ἄρτι δε- δομένοις ὑμῖν ἔδωκεν ἀναβολὴν οὐ νομίζων καλῶς ἂν ἔχειν πρὸ τῶν προΤέρων τοὺς δευτέρους δαπανᾶν. πολλὰ τῇ πό- λει νῦν ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον μετέστη, τί δὲ οὐκ ἔμελλε σοῦ γε εστηκότος; σχῆμα ἀρχῆς, οἰκοδομημάτων κάλλη, τὸ μὴ τὰ δη- μόσια τῶν ἰδίων εἶναι ἐλάττω, ταμιεῖον ὑδάτων, δι’ οὗ καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔστιν ὑμῖν ἁμιλλᾶσθαι. γενέσθω δὴ καὶ τοῦτο καινόν, τὸ μὴ τοὺς συνέδρους ὑπ’ ἐνίων σπαράττεσθαι μηδὲ τοὺς μὲν ἐν γήρᾳ τελευτᾶν οὐ λελειτουργηκότας πάλαι τῶν παρ’ ὑμῖν ἀγαθῶν μετέχοντας, τοὺς δ’ οὔπω γεγευμένους τῶν παρ’ ὑμῖν ἀγαθῶν εὐθὺς ἀπὸ γραμμῆς ἀλγεῖν. εἰ γὰρ μὴ νῦν ταῦτα εἰς τάξιν ἔλθοι, πότ’ ἂν ἔλθοι; δεινὸν φήσει τις εἶναι τὸ μὴ βαδίζειν ἐκεῖσε τοὺς ἐγγεγραμμένους. καὶ πάνυ γε, εἰ μὴ τὸ κωλῦον εἴη. ἀλλ’ ὅ γε Ὀλύμπιος, ἂν ἐκεῖνο ποιή- σῃ, μητρὸς γέγονε προδότης. ἡ δὲ γραῦς τε πάνυ καὶ ἐπιθυ- μεῖ τοῦ παιδὸς ἁπτομένη τὴν ψυχὴν ἀφεῖναι. καὶ ταύτην ὁ μὴ δοὺς τὴν χάριν ἀσεβέστερος Ἱππομένους. τήν τε οὖν γνώ- μὴν θαυμάζοις ἂν εἰκότως καὶ τῶν οὐ δικαίων ἀπολύοις ἀνα- λωμάτων.