Letter 398: Among our fellow citizens I am always saying something about you — describing your character as excellent, your...

To Themistios. (355 AD) Among our fellow citizens I am always saying something about you — describing your character as excellent, your eloquence as remarkable, telling them what kind of man you are in rewarding friends and what kind in punishing enemies, and that your friends are the friends of the gods, your enemies the enemies of the gods. This was always believed. But then Philometor arrived and added such testimony that he made my own words seem small. I was glad to be outdone, since the victor was winning on my behalf. At first, we were determined to do everything to bring you here. Then we willingly abandoned that effort, and in the end we have turned our zeal to the opposite purpose, believing that this is the right time for you to stay where you are. The reason for this change of mind could not properly be put in writing. But if one of our trusted friends visits you, you will hear it from his own lips.

Θεμιστίῳ (355) Ἐν τοῖς πολίταις ἡμῶν ἀεί τι περὶ σοῦ λέγομεν τό τε ἦθος ὡς χρηστὸν διηγούμενοι καὶ τοὺς λόγους ὡς θαυμαστοί, καὶ τίς μὲν εἴης φίλους ἀμείψασθαι, τίς δὲ ἐχθροὺς ἀμύνα- σθαι, καὶ ὅτι σοὶ φίλοι μὲν οἳ καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς, ἐχθροὶ δὲ οἱ καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς. ταυτὶ δὲ οὐκ ἔστι μὲν ὅτε οὐκ ἐπιστεύετο, Φιλομήτωρ δὲ ἥκων καὶ τοιαῦτα ἐπέθηκεν, ὥστε μικρά με λέγοντα ἀπέφηνεν. ἐγὼ δὲ ἔχαιρον ἡττώμενος· ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ γὰρ ὁ νικῶν ἐνίκα. τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον ἡμῖν ἐδόκει πάντα πράττειν, ὅπως ἂν ἔλθοις· ἔπειθ’ ἑκόντες ἐπανήκαμεν τῆς σπουδῆς, τελευτῶντες δὲ πρὸς τοὐναντίον χρώμεθα τῇ σπουδῇ καιρὸν εἶναί σοι νομίζοντες κατὰ χώραν μένειν. τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν τῆς μεταβολῆς ἐγγράψαι μὶν οὐκ εἶχε καλῶς, ἢν δέ τις παρ’ ὁμᾶς ἴῃ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων, ἀπὸ στόματος ἀκούσῃ.