Letter 259: My occupation is still rhetoric, as before, but the pleasures are nothing like they were.
To Crispinus. (361)
My occupation is still rhetoric, as before, but the pleasures are nothing like they were. Having lost so many friends and relatives of such quality, grief prevails and joy comes from nowhere. If I were not deeply ashamed, I would beg the Muses' pardon for leaving my post and go off to work the land.
But let these things go wherever God wills. As for my writings, some you have and some you do not have but are looking for. You need to tell me which ones you already possess -- that way you will teach me what I need to send. There is no point in our copyists wearing themselves out for nothing. Just let me know, and you will find Theophilus efficient and me eager to oblige you.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Κρισπίνῳ. (361)
Διατριβαὶ μὲν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ λόγοις οἷαίπερ πρότερον, οὐ μέν-
τοι γε ἡδοναὶ ταῖς ἔμπροσθεν παραπλήσιαι. τοσούτων γάρ μοι
καὶ τοιούτων καὶ φίλων καὶ συγγενῶν οἰχομένων ἡ λύπη κρα-
τεῖ καὶ τέρψις οὐδαμόθεν, ὥστ’ εἰ μὴ λίαν ᾐσχυνόμην, παραι-
τησάμενος ἂν τὰς Μούσας μὴ χαλεπαίνειν λιπὼν ἂν τὴν τά-
ξιν ἐγεώργουν.
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μέν, ὅπῃ τῷ θεῷ δοκεῖ, χω-
ρείτω· τῶν δ’ ἡμὶν πεποιημένων τὰ μὲν ἔχεις, τὰ δὲ οὐκ ἔχων
ζητεῖς. δεῖ δή σε φράζειν, ὁπόσα ἔχεις. οὕτω γὰρ ἃ δεῖσε λα-
βεῖν διδάξεις. οὐ γὰρ ἄξιον ἡμῖν κόπτεσθαι τηνάλλως τοὺς
βιβλιογράφους. μήνυε δὴ καὶ τόν τε Θεόφιλον ἐνεργὸν εὑρή-
σεις ἡμᾶς τέ σοι χαρίζεσθαι βουλομένους
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