Letter 258: If Eutherius did not have a son studying with us, and if he had not asked you to write, you would have kept your...

To Hyperechius. (361?) If Eutherius did not have a son studying with us, and if he had not asked you to write, you would have kept your silence as before -- even though I taught you to speak. You use that skill in other contexts, where it preserves and increases your property, but when it comes to speaking to me, you are mute -- and this despite doing well, as we would pray, in circumstances that give you good news to share. But I will not exact a penalty from you for what I could rightly complain about. It is for this very reason that I placed Hieron above many others, and Philopatris will receive the same treatment as Hieron. Or rather, he has already received it -- for I consider it an act of grace to you whenever I do something for any of the Armenians.

Υπερεχίῳ (361?) Εἰ δὲ μὴ παῖς ἦν Εὐθηρίῳ παρ’ ἡμῖν κἀκεῖνος ἐδεῖτό σου γράφειν, ἐσίγας ἂν ὥσπερ πρότερον, καίτοι σε ἐδιδάξαμεν λέγειν. σὺ δ’ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις τούτῳ χρώμενος, ᾧ τὰ ὄντα καὶ σώζεις καὶ πλείω ποιεῖς, οὗ δεῖ τι φθέγξασθαι, τὸ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἄφωνος εἶ, καὶ ταῦτα πράττων, ὡς ἂν ἡμεῖς εὐξαίμεθα, καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων χρηστὰ δηλοῦν διδόντων. ἀλλ’ ἐγώ σε οὐΚ εἰσπράξομαι δίκην ὧν αἰτιᾶσθαι ἔχω. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν Ἱέ- ρωνα πρὸ πολλῶν ἐποιησάμην καὶ Φιλόπατρις ὧνπερ Ἱέρων τεύξεται μᾶλλον δὲ ἤδη τετύχηκεν ἐμοῦ σοὶ χαρίζεσθαι διὰ τῶν εἰς ὁντινοῦν Ἀρμενίων ἡγουμένου.