You have gained a double victory , one by your arms, the other by your eloquence. One trophy is erected to you by the barbarians, and the other by me your friend; a trophy this most pleasing even to a conqueror. For all parents wish to be excelled by their children , and you, who by me have been instructed in writing, have in that excelled your instructor. But now for the brevity of my letter , I, the orator, must account to you, the general, or rather to one no less consummate in the art of oratory than in that of war. After the emperor had given you a share in the government, I thought myself bound to lay some restraint on my freedom and not to indulge it, as I had been accustomed, to a man so exalted. For knowing, as we do, in our declamatory skirmishes, how to address Pericles, Cimon and Miltiades, it would have been shameful in real life to neglect those laws. And as you yourself say, that the letters of generals, on account of their avocations, should be short, this induced me to contract my letters, aware that he whose business prevents him from writing long letters must be much interrupted by one who sends him long letters. But now, as you order me to be diffuse, I will obey. And first I congratulate you that with arms in your hands you have not suspended your application to oratory, but wage war as if war were your only study and attend to books as if you were a stranger to arms. And next, that he who has given you a share in the empire has had no cause to repent of his having given it, but considering him as your cousin and colleague and lord and master, in all your actions you promote his glory and exclaim to your falling enemies, "what would be your fate, if the emperor were present?" All this I applaud, and also your not having changed your manners with your dress, nor lost, by gaining power, the remembrance of your friends. Many blessing attend you for showing that when I celebrated your talents I was not a liar, or rather for having shown that I was a liar in promising nothing equal to what you have performed! This is all your own, and copied from no model. For though some, together with the empire, have assumed the love of money, contracting desires to which before they were strangers, and others have given more indulgence to their former inclinations, you alone, when raised to the throne, have shared your fortune among your friends, giving one a house, another slaves, land to this, money to that, and, when a subject, were more wealthy than now when you are prince. Nor do you exclude me from the number of your friends, though I am not one of those who have shared your favours. For I can assign a reason of my alone having received nothing. As you would have cities abound with every thing that can promote their happiness, you deem nothing more essential to this than oratory, knowing that if that were extinct we should resemble the barbarians. Apprehending therefore that if I abounded with riches I should neglect my art, you thought it right for me to remain poor, that I might not be tempted to desert my station: such, at least, is my solution. Not that you have said, "Amphiaraus and Capaneus are something ; but this man has neither name nor place ." But your not having given me anything is owing to your regard for the public. Therefore though we are indigent of money, we abound with words. This is your concern; may we not disgrace the part that is allotted to us, nor you your illustrious rank! The Barroci manuscript adds to the name the epithet ("Caesar") but the Medicean B. ("execrable"). WOLFIUS. In his 394th letter, Libanius writes "The excellent Anatolius has gained two victories over us". Sophists would style their students their 'sons'. See Eunapius on Julian. Julian liked long letters, as appears from his second to Prohaeresius. The gloomy and suspicious Constantius II, who had put to death all his other male relations but now needed a figurehead Caesar in Gaul. Constantius. Libanius in his Life writes that "Libanius loved [Julian] himself, but others loved his riches." A proverb. Amphiarus and Capaneus were two of the seven chiefs against Thebes. Capaneus is applied elsewhere in antiquity as a symbol of friendship, because Capaneus, amid great wealth, living with frugality and economy, was most attentive to his friends. This oracle of Apollo to the inhabitants of Aegina is quoted by the scholiast on Theocritus. They had asked the oracle who was the bravest of the Greeks, after gaining a naval victory, to which they got a depreciating answer concluding as above.
You have gained a double victory , one by your arms, the other by your eloquence. One trophy is erected to you by the barbarians, and the other by me your friend; a trophy this most pleasing even to a conqueror. For all parents wish to be excelled by their children , and you, who by me have been instructed in writing, have in that excelled your instructor. But now for the brevity of my letter , I, the orator, must account to you, the general, or rather to one no less consummate in the art of oratory than in that of war. After the emperor had given you a share in the government, I thought myself bound to lay some restraint on my freedom and not to indulge it, as I had been accustomed, to a man so exalted. For knowing, as we do, in our declamatory skirmishes, how to address Pericles, Cimon and Miltiades, it would have been shameful in real life to neglect those laws. And as you yourself say, that the letters of generals, on account of their avocations, should be short, this induced me to contract my letters, aware that he whose business prevents him from writing long letters must be much interrupted by one who sends him long letters. But now, as you order me to be diffuse, I will obey. And first I congratulate you that with arms in your hands you have not suspended your application to oratory, but wage war as if war were your only study and attend to books as if you were a stranger to arms. And next, that he who has given you a share in the empire has had no cause to repent of his having given it, but considering him as your cousin and colleague and lord and master, in all your actions you promote his glory and exclaim to your falling enemies, "what would be your fate, if the emperor were present?" All this I applaud, and also your not having changed your manners with your dress, nor lost, by gaining power, the remembrance of your friends. Many blessing attend you for showing that when I celebrated your talents I was not a liar, or rather for having shown that I was a liar in promising nothing equal to what you have performed! This is all your own, and copied from no model. For though some, together with the empire, have assumed the love of money, contracting desires to which before they were strangers, and others have given more indulgence to their former inclinations, you alone, when raised to the throne, have shared your fortune among your friends, giving one a house, another slaves, land to this, money to that, and, when a subject, were more wealthy than now when you are prince. Nor do you exclude me from the number of your friends, though I am not one of those who have shared your favours. For I can assign a reason of my alone having received nothing. As you would have cities abound with every thing that can promote their happiness, you deem nothing more essential to this than oratory, knowing that if that were extinct we should resemble the barbarians. Apprehending therefore that if I abounded with riches I should neglect my art, you thought it right for me to remain poor, that I might not be tempted to desert my station: such, at least, is my solution. Not that you have said, "Amphiaraus and Capaneus are something ; but this man has neither name nor place ." But your not having given me anything is owing to your regard for the public. Therefore though we are indigent of money, we abound with words. This is your concern; may we not disgrace the part that is allotted to us, nor you your illustrious rank! The Barroci manuscript adds to the name the epithet ("Caesar") but the Medicean B. ("execrable"). WOLFIUS. In his 394th letter, Libanius writes "The excellent Anatolius has gained two victories over us". Sophists would style their students their 'sons'. See Eunapius on Julian. Julian liked long letters, as appears from his second to Prohaeresius. The gloomy and suspicious Constantius II, who had put to death all his other male relations but now needed a figurehead Caesar in Gaul. Constantius. Libanius in his Life writes that "Libanius loved [Julian] himself, but others loved his riches." A proverb. Amphiarus and Capaneus were two of the seven chiefs against Thebes. Capaneus is applied elsewhere in antiquity as a symbol of friendship, because Capaneus, amid great wealth, living with frugality and economy, was most attentive to his friends. This oracle of Apollo to the inhabitants of Aegina is quoted by the scholiast on Theocritus. They had asked the oracle who was the bravest of the Greeks, after gaining a naval victory, to which they got a depreciating answer concluding as above.
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You have gained a double victory , one by your arms, the other by your eloquence. One trophy is erected to you by the barbarians, and the other by me your friend; a trophy this most pleasing even to a conqueror. For all parents wish to be excelled by their children , and you, who by me have been instructed in writing, have in that excelled your instructor. But now for the brevity of my letter , I, the orator, must account to you, the general, or rather to one no less consummate in the art of oratory than in that of war. After the emperor had given you a share in the government, I thought myself bound to lay some restraint on my freedom and not to indulge it, as I had been accustomed, to a man so exalted. For knowing, as we do, in our declamatory skirmishes, how to address Pericles, Cimon and Miltiades, it would have been shameful in real life to neglect those laws. And as you yourself say, that the letters of generals, on account of their avocations, should be short, this induced me to contract my letters, aware that he whose business prevents him from writing long letters must be much interrupted by one who sends him long letters. But now, as you order me to be diffuse, I will obey. And first I congratulate you that with arms in your hands you have not suspended your application to oratory, but wage war as if war were your only study and attend to books as if you were a stranger to arms. And next, that he who has given you a share in the empire has had no cause to repent of his having given it, but considering him as your cousin and colleague and lord and master, in all your actions you promote his glory and exclaim to your falling enemies, "what would be your fate, if the emperor were present?" All this I applaud, and also your not having changed your manners with your dress, nor lost, by gaining power, the remembrance of your friends. Many blessing attend you for showing that when I celebrated your talents I was not a liar, or rather for having shown that I was a liar in promising nothing equal to what you have performed! This is all your own, and copied from no model. For though some, together with the empire, have assumed the love of money, contracting desires to which before they were strangers, and others have given more indulgence to their former inclinations, you alone, when raised to the throne, have shared your fortune among your friends, giving one a house, another slaves, land to this, money to that, and, when a subject, were more wealthy than now when you are prince. Nor do you exclude me from the number of your friends, though I am not one of those who have shared your favours. For I can assign a reason of my alone having received nothing. As you would have cities abound with every thing that can promote their happiness, you deem nothing more essential to this than oratory, knowing that if that were extinct we should resemble the barbarians. Apprehending therefore that if I abounded with riches I should neglect my art, you thought it right for me to remain poor, that I might not be tempted to desert my station: such, at least, is my solution. Not that you have said, "Amphiaraus and Capaneus are something ; but this man has neither name nor place ." But your not having given me anything is owing to your regard for the public. Therefore though we are indigent of money, we abound with words. This is your concern; may we not disgrace the part that is allotted to us, nor you your illustrious rank! The Barroci manuscript adds to the name the epithet ("Caesar") but the Medicean B. ("execrable"). WOLFIUS. In his 394th letter, Libanius writes "The excellent Anatolius has gained two victories over us". Sophists would style their students their 'sons'. See Eunapius on Julian. Julian liked long letters, as appears from his second to Prohaeresius. The gloomy and suspicious Constantius II, who had put to death all his other male relations but now needed a figurehead Caesar in Gaul. Constantius. Libanius in his Life writes that "Libanius loved [Julian] himself, but others loved his riches." A proverb. Amphiarus and Capaneus were two of the seven chiefs against Thebes. Capaneus is applied elsewhere in antiquity as a symbol of friendship, because Capaneus, amid great wealth, living with frugality and economy, was most attentive to his friends. This oracle of Apollo to the inhabitants of Aegina is quoted by the scholiast on Theocritus. They had asked the oracle who was the bravest of the Greeks, after gaining a naval victory, to which they got a depreciating answer concluding as above.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.