Letter 331: You who come from Greece hold rhetoric in honor, and Hieronymus possesses it in the highest degree.

To Eupaterius. (357/58) You who come from Greece hold rhetoric in honor, and Hieronymus possesses it in the highest degree. It follows, then, that he too must become honored in your eyes — the man whose speaking won over even Strategius for us. He had a speech written for a case he was litigating, but when the trial proved unnecessary, he asked leave to deliver it anyway. He was granted this, spoke, departed to applause — and I rejoiced. For he and I share the same teacher, and whatever distinction he earns is at once my own. I am certain you will admire him when he speaks, and admiring him, I am certain you will come to love him — both for the admiration itself and because he is no more an orator than he is a good man. And if it counts for anything that I care about this orator, I will be grateful — and perhaps find a way to repay you.

Εὐπατερίῳ. (357/58) Τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ὑμῖν ἡ ῥητορικὴ τίμιον, ταύτης δὲ πλεῖστον Ἱερώνυμος μετέχει. πᾶσα τοίνυν ἀνάγκη καὶ τοῦ- τὸν γενέσθαι σοι τίμιον, ὃς καὶ τὸν Στρατήγιον ἡμῖν ἀνηρ- τήσατο λέγων. ἦν μὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ λόγος ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐδικάζετο γεγραμμένος, ὡς δὲ οὐκέτ’ ἐδέησεν ἀγῶνος, εἰπεῖν ὅμως δεη- θεὶς καὶ τυχὼν εἰπὼν ἐπαινούμενος ἀπῆλθεν, ὥστ’ ἐμὲ χαί- ρειν. εἶς γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ διδάσκαλος, ἐμοί τε καὶ τούτῳ. καὶ ὅ τι ἂν τούτῳ καλὸν ὑπάρξῃ, τοῦτ’ εὐθὺς ἐμόν. λέγοντα μὲν οὖν οἶδ’ ὅτι θαυμάσῃ, θαυμάζων δὲ οἶδ᾿ ὅτι καὶ φιλήσεις κατ’ αὐτό γε τὸ θαῦμα καὶ ὅτι γε οὐ ῥήτωρ πλέον ἢ χρηστός. εἰ δέ τι καὶ τοῦτο δυνήσεται τὸ μέλειν ἐμοὶ τοῦ ῥήτορος, εἴ- σομαί τε χάριν καὶ ἴσως ἀποδώσω.