Letter 257
To Eusebius. (358)
You wrote what a father naturally would, but your letter has not made me any better. For what another man would do in response to such a letter, I was already doing before it arrived. When a man is already using every ounce of his strength and then receives an exhortation, he has no way to grant the exhorter's wish -- since he is already doing everything.
Since you are thinking of repayment, look for a kind that suits me. And the right kind is this: if you ever receive anything fine from us, say a good word about me. As for money, if I had craved a great deal, I would not now have so little.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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