Letter 295: Pray that many people travel through Bithynia, for then you will have many to sing your praises.

To Alexander. (361?) Pray that many people travel through Bithynia, for then you will have many to sing your praises. Everyone who passes through comes away carrying a sense of wonder at your administration. Elpidius, who left our ranks -- or rather, our chorus, for he sang with us but has now joined a different chorus, choosing the law courts over the young men -- whenever the subject of you comes up, he leaps, he shouts, he is positively frenzied. I think he would gladly take the legendary Pegasus and, freed from his stables and posting stations, fly to you with winged speed. And once there, I think he would let Pegasus go and invent a thousand excuses for delay -- so strong is his longing and his affection for you. He wants to see you, and having seen you, he would want to stay, not leave. Trust Elpidius the good in everything, but beware lest he mislead you with his praises of me. He will say...

Ἀλεξάνδρῳ. (361?) Εὔχου πολλοὺς διὰ τῆς Βιθυνίας ὁδοιπορεῖν· οὕτω γὰρ ἕξεις πολλοὺς τοὺς ἐπαινεσομένους· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὅστις δι’ ἐκεί- ἥκων ἥκων οὐ θαῦμα τῆς σῆς ἀρχῆς ἧκε κομίζων. Ἐλπίδιος δὲ ὁ τὴν τάξιν λιπών, εἰ δὲ βούλει, τὸν χορόν, ᾄδων γὰρ μεθ’ ἡμῶν γε καὶ ἐπ’ ἄλλον ἥκει χορὸν τὰς δίκας ἀντὶ τῶν νέων ᾑρημένος, ἐπειδὰν τῆς περὶ σοῦ μνήμης ἅψηται, πηδᾷ, κέκραγεν, ἀτεχνῶς κορυβαντιᾷ καί μοι δοκεῖ νῦν ἥδιστ’ ἂν τὸν Πήγασον ἐκεῖνον λαβὼν καὶ τῶν ὀρεωκόμων καὶ σταθμῶν ἀπαλλαγεὶς πτηνῷ τάχει παρὰ σὲ κομισθῆναι, τὸν δὲ Πήγασον ἀφεῖναι ἂν ἐκεῖ μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ζητῆσαι μυρίας εἰς βραδυτῆτα προφάσεις· οὕτως αὐτῷ τό γε σὸν ἐν πόθῳ καὶ φίλτρῳ. καὶ ζητῶν ἰδεῖν βούλοιτ’ ἂν ἔχειν, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἀπελθεῖν. πάντα δὴ τἄλλα πιστεύων Ἐλπιδίῳ τῷ καλῷ φυλάττου μή σε παρα- κρούσηται τοῖς καθ’ ἡμῶν ἐγκωμίοις. φήσει γὰρ εἶναί με μέγαν, εἰμὶ δ’ ἐκεῖνος ὃν οἶσθα, μικρός, μικρὰ ἐπιστάμενος, οὐδὲν ἑτέρου βελτίων.