Letter 296

To Honoratus. (361?) Now you have paid me back the great wages -- by appearing so fine and good at the imperial court. Those earlier rewards were not small -- the gold and silver with which you surpassed the rest -- but in what you are doing now, by Heracles, you have shown what a fine son I raised. For you have moved everyone to praise your name, and I myself have heard them say: one man loves you for your gentleness...

Ὁνωράτῳ. (361?) Νῦν μοι τοὺς μεγάλους μισθοὺς ἀποδέδωκας οὕτω κα- λὸς κἀγαθὸς ἐν βασιλείοις φανείς. μικρὰ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνα, χρυσὸς καὶ ἄργυρος, οἷς τοὺς ἄλλους παρῄεις, ἐν οἷς δὲ νῦν ποιεῖς, Ἡράκλεις, ὡς εὔπαιδά με ἀπέφηνας. πάντας γὰρ εἰς ἔπαινον σύ γε τῶν σαυτοῦ κεκίνηκας καὶ αὐτὸς ἤκουσα λεγόντων, τοῦ μέν, ὅτι σε φιλεῖ διὰ τὴν πρᾳότητα τοῦ δέ, διὰ τὴν ἀγχίνοιαν. ὁ· δέ τις ἐκάλει ῥήτορα, τῷ δὲ ἐδόκει θαῦμα τὸ συνελθεῖν ἔργα γλώττης τε καὶ χειρός. ὁ δέ τις ἄξια τῆς τῶν τρόπων ἀρετῆς εἰπεῖν ἐθέλων ποῖον, ἔφη, λέγεις Ὁνωράτον; τὸν γέροντα; οὐχ ὅτι σοι τὸ τοῦ Ἐργίνου συμβέβηκεν, ἐν νεότητι πολιά, ἀλλ’ ὅτι ζῇς κατὰ τοὺς γέρον- τὰς πρὶν ἐκ παίδων ἐξελθεῖν, καὶ τὸ μέγιστον, μητρὸς ἀπού- σης, πατρὸς οὐ παρόντος, σαυτῷ παιδαγωγὸν ἐπέστησας τὴν τῶν καλῶν ἐπιθυμίαν. ἐγὼ τοίνυν παραινεῖν μέν τι ποιεῖν ὡς παραλελειμμένον οὐκ ἔχω, παρακαλῶ δέ σε τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πολλοῖς εἰρημένον, τηρεῖν τὸν παρόντα νόμον, μᾶλλον δὲ ἴν τι προσθεῖναι, τὸ καὶ ἐπιστέλλειν, ὥσπερ τοῖς γονεῦσι, καὶ ἐμοί, ὅπως σοι καὶ τοῦτο ἐργασθῇ καλῶς, οὗ δεήσει θεοῦ διδόντος, ὅταν ἐκ τῆς ἔνδον διακονίας ἐπιτήδειος εἶναι δοκῇς ἄρχειν ἐθνῶν.