Letter 386: If doing less than one's ability permits while willing counts as laziness, then I am far from that charge.

To Hierocles. (355) If doing less than one's ability permits while willing counts as laziness, then I am far from that charge. I have written less than the occasion demanded, but illness prevented me from writing more. Know, however, that your quarrel with this man has been a great misfortune for us. To see those who should above all be in harmony locked in strife, to grieve at what is happening yet be powerless to stop it — how could this not be a misfortune for me, for your brothers, and for all who bear you goodwill? But what is more terrible still: Chromatius is gone — O Zeus and gods! — and again I will say it, Chromatius, who graced Palestine by being born there and graced Athens by receiving its gifts so well. He was glory to his family and a harbor to his friends. Alone among all whom I know, he was most admired and least envied. His words astounded, his character charmed — he was at once a formidable orator and a good man. What shall I think of first, and for what shall I grieve first? That we shared a house at Athens? That we shared one table? That we delighted in the same things? That we thought about the same things? That we sharpened one another, each serving as the other's judge? Or when he returned on his first visit, whom did he not surpass in acclaim and in all those things that seem to be the stock-in-trade of sophists? And indeed, he urged me to return again, and when I arrived he was worth as much as many men. He did all this knowing it would displease someone, yet being the best of men toward me. The prospect of some blame from a certain person did not deter him from his courageous support of us; rather, he freely did what he thought right and brushed aside those who expected him to favor them at our expense, as people not entirely sound of mind. While helping us in this way he fell ill, and though pressed by so great a malady he endured it in silence. Then, rising from his sickbed, he set out for Cilicia — and set out for Hades. And that place to which he departed, previously thought the most pleasant — how, do you suppose, it is now judged harsh? As for me, when I first heard the news I was speechless for a long while. When at last I could break my silence, my first words were these: that the finest thing on earth has departed — a man more temperate than Peleus [the father of Achilles], no less beloved by the gods than Sophocles, powerful in speech, even better in judgment, a true friend, in no way inferior to those famous Syracusans whose devotion was demonstrated under the tyranny of Dionysius. All this I recounted, Hierocles, through tears. Then from the very things I wept over, a thought came to me: that one should not weep. For to have lived so nobly is itself a consolation at death. What he suffered is the common lot; but the things for which he is praised — those are not common. And so you should rather rejoice that you possessed such a nephew and son-in-law than be stricken by what has happened. Consider that all things are done by the will of the gods, and the gods would not do anything bad to a man of such virtue. They are just, and would not punish one whom they ought to honor. He did not die, then, because he had suffered anything terrible, but for something better. For it seems to me that the gods, judging the man too good to spend his time on earth and fit for their own company, carried him hence to heaven. This is how you yourself must think, and how you must persuade your daughter to think — and believe that it is worthy of his education that you know how to bear this.

Ἱεροκλεῖ. (355) Εἰ τὸ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐλάττω ποιεῖν ἑκόντα ῥᾳθυμεῖν ἐστι, πόρρω τῆς αἰτίας ἐγώ. βραχύτερα μὲν γὰρ ἢ ὁ καιρὸς ἀπῄτει γέγραφα, πλείω δὲ οὐκ εἶχον ὑπ’ ἀρρωστίας. τὴν μέντοι συμβᾶσάν σοι πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα τουτονὶ ταραχὴν ἴσθι μακρὰν ἡμῖν γεγονέναι συμφοράν. τὸ γὰρ οὓς εἰκὸς ἦν μάλιστα συμ- πνεῖν, τούτους ὁρᾶν ἐν στάσει καὶ τῷ γιγνομένῳ μὲν ἀλγεῖν, παῦσαι δὲ αὐτὸ μὴ δύνασθαι πῶς οὐκ ἐμοί τε καὶ τοῖς σοῖς ἀδελφοῖς καὶ πᾶσιν οἷς εὔνοια πρὸς τὰ σὰ νομίζοιτ’ ἂν συμ- φορά; ὃ δέ γε τούτου δεινότερον, οἴχεται Χρωμάτιος, o) Ζεῦ καὶ θεοί, καὶ πάλιν ἐρῶ Χρωμάτιος, ὃς ἐκόσμει μὲν τὴν παλαιστίνην τῷ φῦναι αὐτόθι, ἐκόσμει δὲ τὰς Ἀθήνας εὖ τἀκεῖθεν δεξάμενος. ἦν δὲ τῷ γένει μὲν κλέος, τοῖς φίλοις δὲ λιμήν. μόνος δὲ ὧν ἴσμεν μάλιστα μὲν ἐθαυμάσθη, ἥκιστα δὲ ἐφθονήθη. τοῖς λόγοις μὲν ἐξέπληττε, τῷ τρόπῳ δὲ ἔθελ- γεν αὐτὸς ὢν καὶ ῥήτωρ δεινὸς καὶ ἀνὴρ χρηστός. τί πρῶ- τον ἐννοήσω καὶ διὰ τί πρῶτον ὀδύρωμαι; ὡς ἡμᾶς οἴκημα εἶχεν Ἀθήνησιν; ὡς τράπεζα μία ὡς τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐχαίρομεν; ὡς ταὐτὰ ἐφροντίζομεν; ὡς ἠκονῶμεν ἀλλήλους ἀλλήλοις ὄν- τες κριταί; ἀλλ’ ὅτε ἐπανῆκον τὴν προτέραν ἐπιδημία τίνας οὐ παρῆλθε κρότῳ τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἃ σοφιστῶν ὠφε- λεῖν σχῆμα δοκεῖ; καὶ μὴν ὅπως μὲν αὖθις ἐπανέλθοιμι, προὔ- τρεψεν, ἐγένετο δὲ ἀντὶ πολλῶν ἀφιγμένῳ. καὶ ταῦτα ἔπρατ- τεν εἰδὼς ὅτι λυπήσει τινὰ βέλτιστος ὢν εἰς ἐμέ. ἀλλ’ ὅμως οὐκ ἀπέστησεν αὐτὸν τῆς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀνδρίας τό τινα μἐμ- ψιν παρὰ τοῦ δεῖνος ἀκολουθήσειν, ἀλλ’ ὃ δίκαιον ᾤετο, ἐλευ- θέρως ἐποίει καὶ τοὺς ἀξιοῦντας αὐτὸν αὑτοῖς χαριζόμενον ἀδικεῖν ὡς οὐ σφόδρα ὑγιαίνοντας ἀπεσείετο. τοιαῦτα ἡμῖν βοηθῶν ἠσθένησε καὶ τοσούτῳ κακῷ πιεζόμενος ἐκαρτέ- ρει σιγῇ. ἔπειτα ἀναστὰς ὥρμησε μὲν ἐπὶ Κιλικίας, ὥρμησε δὲ εἰς Ἅιδου. καὶ τὸ χωρίον, οἱ μετέστη, πρότερον δοκοῦν ἥδιστον πῶς, οἴει, κέκριται χαλεπόν; ἐγὼ δὲ εὐθὺς μὲν ἀκούσας ἄφωνος ἦν ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἠδυνήθην ῥῆ- ξαι φωνήν, ἀφῆκα πρώτην, ὡς ἄρα τὸ κάλλιστον τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀπελήλυθεν, ἀνὴρ σωφρονέστερος μὲν Πηλέως θεοφιλὴς δὲ οὐχ ἧττον ἢ Σοφοκλῆς, δεινὸς εἰπεῖν, ἀμείνων κρῖναι, φίλος σαφής, οὐδέν τι χείρων· ἐκείνων τῶν Συρακουσίων οἷς ἐπί- δειξις ἐγένετο τοῦ πράγματος ἐν τῇ Διονυσίου τυραννίδι. καὶ ταῦτα ἐγὼ διῆλθον, Ἱερόκλεις, δακρύων. ἔπειτα ἐξ αὐτῶν ὧν ἐδάκρυον ἐνεθυμήθην πως, ὅτι ἄρα οὐ χρὴ δακρύειν. τὸ γὰρ οὕτω βεβιωκέναι καλῶς εἰς τὴν τελευτὴν παραμύθιον. ὃ μὲν γὰρ ἔπαθε, κοινόν· ἐφ’ οἷς δὲ ἐπαινεῖται, ταῦτα οὐ κοινά. καὶ δὴ καὶ σὲ δεῖ μᾶλλον χαίρειν, ὅτι τοιοῦτον ἀδελφιδοῦν ἐκτήσω καὶ κηδεστὴν ἢ τῷ συμβεβηκότι πλήrτε- σθαι. λογίζου δὲ ὅτι θεῶν μὲν γνώμῃ πάντα πράττεται, θεοὶ δὲ τὸν ὧδε ἔχοντα ἀρετῆς οὐκ ἄν τι κακὸν ἔδρων. δίκαιοι γὰρ καὶ οὐκ ἂν ὃν τιμᾶν ἐχρῆν ἐκόλαζον. οὐκ ἄρα ὅπως τι δεινὸν εἴη πεπονθώς, ἀπέθνησκεν, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ τῷ βελτίονι. δο- κοῦσι γάρ μοι νομίσαντες τὸν ἄνδρα κρείττω μὲν ἢ διατρίβειν ἐν γῇ, τῷ δὲ αὑτῶν πρέπειν χορῷ μετενεγκεῖν ἐνθένδε εἰς οὐρα- νόν. οὕτως αὐτόν τε σὲ δεῖ φρονεῖν καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα πείθειν καὶ οἴεσθαι τῆς ἐκείνου παιδείας ἄξιον εἶναι τὸ ὑμᾶς ἐπί- στασθαι φέρειν. καὶ περὶ μὲν τῆς τελευτῆς τοῦ ἑταίρου πλείω μὲν ἔνι λέγειν, δεῖ δὲ οὐδέν, εἰδότι γὰρ ἂν λέγοιτο. τὴν δὲ ἐνθάδε ταραχὴν ἡμεῖς τε ὅπως καταστήσεται φροντί- ζομεν σόν μέρος οὐ μικρόν. οἱ μὲν γὰρ τοιοῦτοι καιροὶ φρο- νίμου δέονται, σὺ δέ, εἴπερ τις, ἐπὶ τῷ φρονεῖν δόξαν ἔχεις. ὥσπερ οὖν εἰ κυβερνήτης ἐτύγχανες, ἠξίουν ἄν σε ἐν χει- μῶνι δεικνύναι τὴν τέχνην, οὕτως, ἐπειδὴ συνέσει νικᾷς, ἄν- δρα ὀργιζόμενον διάλλαξον.