Letter 342: On my way to the school I ran into Julianus, who was urging Calykion toward the labors of rhetoric.

To Hierocles. (358) On my way to the school I ran into Julianus, who was urging Calykion toward the labors of rhetoric. He said he was doing this at your prompting, by letter. So I joined in the encouragement and added my own counsel — counsel I have never ceased to give. I think we shall not be boiling a stone [i.e., wasting our effort]. The young man has often heard that his father's integrity left him poor and that eloquence is his one road to wealth. He clearly admires us and is persuaded, and scarcely needs to be told that he must acquire rhetorical training. So you too should stop only scolding and start congratulating him on his eagerness — for that very thing is a tonic for eagerness.

Ἱεροκλεῖ. (358) Πορευόμενος εἰς τὸ διδασκαλεῖον ἐνέτυχον Ἰουλιανῷ κινοῦντι Καλύκιον ἐπὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ λόγων πόνους, ὃ ποιεῖν ἔφασκεν ὑπὸ σοῦ κεκινημένος ἐξ ἐπιστολῆς. ἐκοινώνουν οὖν τῶν παρακλήσεων καὶ συνεφηπτόμην συμβουλῆς, ἠς οὐσεπώποιτε ἐπαυσάμην. οἶμαι δέ, οὐ λίθον ἕψομεν. ἀλλ’ ἀκούων πολ- λάκις ὡς διὰ δικαιοσύνηι πατρὸς πένης εἴη καὶ ὅτι μίαν ὁδὸν ἐπὶ πλοῦτον ἔχει τοὺς λόγους, δῆλός ἐστιν ἐπαινῶν τε ἡμᾶς καὶ πειθόμενος καὶ οὐ πάνυ δεόμενος ἀκούειν ὅτι λό- γους αὐτῷ κτητέον. δεῖ δὴ καὶ σὲ μὴ πάντα ἐπιτιμᾶν, ἀλλ’ ἤδη καὶ συγχαίρειν ὡς ἐπὶ προθυμίᾳ· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτο φάρμακον εἰς προθυμίαν.