Letter 335: Fine work you have done.

To Anatolios. (357/58) Fine work you have done. May such fine work multiply. And I trust I can persuade you by asking you to follow your own precedent. Among the things for which you are praised: much else, but especially that while stationed among the Paeonians you did not forget the people here. Rather, as if you were living among us, you look after how each of your acquaintances might advance to something better — and having looked, you act. When the result of your efforts on Sabinos's behalf reached us, there was nothing else to hear sung but this: "Such-and-such came to so-and-so from so-and-so on account of so-and-so." Now Theodoros, too, must receive equal treatment and become the cause of equal praise for you, and let Sabinos rejoice for him as he rejoiced for Sabinos. "You know Theodoros already," someone will say. All the same, let me tell you about him myself — it does you no harm to hear what you already know, and it gives me pleasure to praise the man. He comes from a good family in Arabia and proved himself better than his ancestors. He went to your city [Beirut] to acquire knowledge of the law, and took more pleasure in legal work than others take in dancing. Having left there full of law — and without the law driving out the power of our rhetoric that he possessed before — he received those who sought refuge in him with two harbors: the reading of law and the force of oratory. He has not neglected his fees, but that is not the only thing he has in view — how to collect payment. Rather, he competes so brilliantly and with everything he has that he is rarely defeated, and he wins gratitude even from those he defeats. When your governorship is praised, he first of all believes it — and that is the mark of a man who knows your nature — and then he rejoices as we do, we who find our greatest joy in your successes. He calls those under your rule blessed and would gladly be under your authority himself. As for his conduct toward us, it is everything you could wish. He is the one who transferred his son to my school, showed others the way, and by his example advised them where they should go. And when a legal case of ours came to court, he poured out great sweat and every argument, even setting aside some of his own interests to serve mine. Such a man — so admirable, so devoted to you, so dear to me, ranked first in his profession — should he not be first in other respects too? Or would you have me look for someone else to do this? That would not be impossible, but it would be unworthy of Theodoros. For a favor through you carries greater weight, and to receive nothing at all would be more tolerable to him than to receive it through another. Give yourself to this, and let Theodoros be added to the list of those you have honored. For it is far better for him to come running to me with an embrace, telling me of the honors he has received, than for you to have to search for an excuse.

Ἀνατολίῳ. (357/58) Καλά γέ σοι τὰ πεπραγμένα. γενέσθω δὴ ταυτὶ τὰ καλὰ καὶ πλείω. πιστεύω δέ σε πείσειν ἀξιῶν ἀκολουθεῖν σε τῷ σαυ- τοῦ νόμῳ. ἐφ’ οἷς μὲν οὖν ἐπαινῇ, συχνά τε ἄλλα καὶ ὅτι διατρίβων ἐν Παίοσιν οὐκ ἐπελάθου τῶν τῇδε, ἀλλ’ ὡς ἄν τις συνών τε καὶ συζῶν, ὅπως τῶν σοι γνωρίμων ἐπί τι βέλτιον ἕκαστος προβαίη σκοπεῖς καὶ πράττεις γε σκοπῶν. ὡς δὲ ἧκεν ἡμῖν τὸ ἔργον τῆς εἰς Σαβῖνον σπουδῆς, οὐδὲν ἦν ἕτε- ρον ἀκούειν ᾀδόμενον ἢ ὅτι τῷδε παρὰ τοῦδε διὰ τὸν δεῖνα τόδε ἥκει. δεῖ δὴ καὶ Θεόδωρον τυχεῖν τε τῶν ἴσων καὶ σοὶ τῶν ἴσων ἐπαίνων αἴτιον καταστῆναι καὶ συνησθῆναι τούτῳ Σαβῖνοι, ὥσπερ οὗτος ἐκείνῳ. τὸν δὲ Θεόδωρον οὐκ ἀγνοεῖς, ἔφη τις. ὅμως δὲ φράσω σοι καὶ ἐγώ, σοὶ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν βλάβος ἃ οἶσθα ἀκοῦσαι, ἐμοὶ δὲ ἡδονὴ τὸν ἄνδρα ἐπαινεῖν. οὗτος ἐξ ἀγαθῶν ἐν Ἀραβίᾳ γενόμενος ἀμείνω τῶν ποτέρων αὑτὸν ἔδειξεν ὁρμήσας μὲν εἰς τὴν σὴν πόλιν ἐπὶ κτήσει νόμων, τῷ ποιεῖν δὲ πλέον ἡσθεὶς ἢ ἕτεροι τῷ ὀρχεῖσθαι. πλήρης δὲ νόμων ἐκεῖθεν ἀπελθὼν καὶ τὸ τῶν λόγων τῶν ἡμετέρων σθένος ὃ πρότερον εἶχεν οὐκ ἐκβα- λῶν ὑπὸ τῶν νόμων δύο λιμέσι τοὺς εἰς αὑτὸν καταφεύγον- τας ἐδέξατο, ἐδέξατο, νόμων τε ἀναγνώσει καὶ ῥητορικῆς ἰσχύι. καὶ μισθοῦ μὲν οὐκ ἠμέλησεν, οὐ μὴν ἓν τοῦτο εἶδεν, ὅπως λήψεται μισθόν. ἀλλ’ οὕτω λαμπρῶς ἀγωνίζειαι καὶ πᾶσι, οἷς ἔχει, ὥστε ὀλιγάκις μὲν ἥττηται. χάριτες δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἡττημένων. τῆς δὲ σῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπαινουμένης πρῶτον μὲν οὐκ ἀπιστεῖ, τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τὴν σὴν εἰδότος φύσιν, ἔπειτα χαίρει καθάπερ ἡμεῖς, οἷς ἔνι μάλιστα χαίρειν ἐν τοῖς σοῖς ἀγαθοῖς, καὶ τοὺς ὑπὸ σοὶ μακαρίζει καὶ βούλοιτ’ ἂν ὑπὸ σοὶ γενέσθαι. πρὸς δέ γε ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεόδωρος, ὁποῖον ἂν ἀξιώ- σαις. οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὸν υἱὸν μεταθεὶς καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις δείξας τὴν ὁδὸν κοὶ συμβουλεύσας ἔργῳ, ποῖ χρὴ βαδίζειν. καὶ δὴ Λαὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡμῖν εἰς δικαστήριον ἐλθόντων πολὺν μὲν ἱδρῶτα, πάσας δὲ φωνὰς ἀφῆκε. καί τι καὶ τῶν αὑτοῦ χεῖρον ἔθετο θεραπεύων τοὐμόν. τὸν οὖν οὕτω μὲν θαυμαστόν, οὕτω δὲ σοὶ προσκείμενον, οὕτω δὲ ἐμοὶ φίλον, ἐν πρώτοις δὲ τεταγμένον ὑπὸ τῆς τέχνης μὴ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐν πρώτοις εἶναι ποῦ καλόν; ἢ βούλει ζητεῖν ἡμᾶς ἕτερον, ὅστις τοῦτο ποιήσει; ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἀμήχανον μέν, οὐκ ἄξιον δὲ Θεοδώρου. τὸ γὰρ διὰ σοῦ μεῖζον ἄγει τοῦ πράγματος καὶ τὸ μηδενὸς τυχεῖν τοῦ δι’ ἑτέρου τυχεῖν με- τριώτερον αὑτῷ. δὸς δὴ σαυτόν, καὶ ἔστω Θεόδωρος ἐν τῷ καταλόγῳ τῶν ὑπὸ σοῦ κεκοσμημένων· πολὺ γὰρ ἄμεινον τοῦτόν μοι προσδραμόντα φιλοῦντα ἅμα λέγειν, ἃ τετίμηται ἢ σὲ ζητεῖν, ὅ τι ἀπολογήσῃ.