Letter 396

To Mantitheos. (355 AD) From the letter you sent us some time ago, we expected you to come in person. So it was a surprise to receive a letter from Europe instead. When I got your letter, I saw no reason to delay. I went straight to the man you wanted, deployed every compliment I had on your behalf, and urged him to send for you. But he replied: "If you don't know what he's done, you're asleep. If you do know and still produce such praise for a character like that, you're looking to put him at ease while showing little concern for me." When I tried to refute the charges, he said a credible man had arrived from Ionia with a full report, and that I should stop pressing him. Now, I know perfectly well that you've committed no wrong — if something unfortunate happened, it was bad luck, not misconduct. I know your character, and I myself have been stung by people who lie without scruple. What needed to be done on our end, then, has not been accomplished on that front. But if you see some other path where I can be of any use, write to me, and you won't find me idle. As for the matter of the wicked slave and the good brothers, here is what happened: under the governorship of Honoratus, a soldier came for them, seized them, and led them away. But while they were still on the road, Honoratus left office, and his successor released the prisoners — obviously having sold the release. When Nebridios learned of this, he exacted a double punishment on the soldier: he had him flogged and expelled from the rolls, then sent others to track down the fugitives. So it goes for us — some troubles arrive while others refuse to be resolved. Still, we must trust that a day will come when we draw from the better jar.

Μαντιθέῳ. (355) Ἐκ τῶν γραμμάτων, ἃ πάλαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐπεπόμφεις, αὐτόν σε προσεδοκῶμεν ἥξειν, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς Εὐρώπης ἐπι- στέλλειν καινόν τι ἡμῖν ἐφάνη. λαβὼν δέ σου τὴν επιστο- λὴν οὐδέν τι ἠξίουν μέλλειν, ἀλλ’ εὐθὺς δραμὼν παρὰ τὸν ἄνδσα ὃν ἐβούλου πᾶσιν οἷς εἶχον ἐγκωμίοις ἐχρώμην κατὰ σοῦ καὶ μεταπέμπεσθαι παρῄνουν. ὁ δ’ εἰ μὲν ὄεις ἔφη τὰ πεπραγμένα αὐτῷ, καθεύδεις· εἰ δὲ εἰδὼς περὶ τοιούτων τρόπων τοιούτους ἐπαίνους ἐργάζῃ, τὸν μὲν ὅπως κορμήσεις ζητεῖς, ἐμοῦ δὲ οὐ σφόδρα κήδῃ. πειρωμένου δέ μου τὰς κατηγορίας λύειν ἄνδρα ἔφα- σκεν ἀξιόπιστον ἥκοντα ἐξ Ἰωνίας ἀπηγγελκέναι καὶ μὴ δεῖν με ἐνοχλεῖν. ὡς μὲν οὖν οὐκ ὴδιkήκαμεν, ἀλλ’, εἴπερ τι συνέβη δύσκολον, ἠτυχήκαμεν ἐπίσταμαι· τόν τε γὰρ σὸν ἐπί- σταμαι τρόπον αὐτός τέ ειμι τῶν πεπληγμένων ὑπὸ τῶν ῥᾳ- δίως ψευδομένων. ἃ δ’ οὖν ἔδει γεμέσθαι ἡμῖν, κατὰ τοῦτο οὐ πέπρακται· σὺ δ’ εἰ τιν’ ἄλλην ὁδὸν ὁρᾷς, πρὸς ἣν ἔχω τι δυνάμεως, ἐπίστελλε καί με οὐ φήσεις ἀργὸν εἶναι. τὰ δὲ τοῦ κακούργου δούλου καὶ τῶν χρηστῶν ἀδελφῶν ὧδε ἔσχεν. ἄρχοντος Ὁνωράτου στρατιώτης ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἐλθὼν λαβὼν ἦγεν. ἔτι δὲ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῆς πορείας ὄντων ὁ μὲν ἀπήλλακτο τῆς ἀρ- χῆς, ὁ δὲ ἀφῆκεν οὓς ἦγε, δῆλον ὡς ἀποδόμενος τὴν ἄφεσιν. ταῦτα γνοὺς Νεβρίδιος διπλῆν πράττεται τιμωρίαν τὸν στρατιώτην. μαστιγώσας γὰρ ἐκβάλλει τοῦ καταλόγου καὶ δι ἄλλων ἐκείνους ἀναζητεῖ. οὕτως ἡμῖν τῶν δυσχερῶν τὰ μὲν ἐπέρχεται, τὰ δὲ οὐκ ἐθέλει λυθῆναι. δεῖ μέντοι πιστεύειν ὡς ἥξει ποτὲ καιρὸς τοῦ βελτίονος πίθου.