Letter 399: That wretch Theodoros has caused you trouble and us — the injured parties — anger.

To Kalliopios. (355 AD) That wretch Theodoros has caused you trouble and us — the injured parties — anger. Not that I blame you for this: putting those who are present ahead of those who are absent, showing deference to the one while assuming the other is as good as dead. I'm well aware that your reputation rests on being attentive to your friends. But, my dear fellow, being wronged breeds pain, and the tongue of a man in pain is not reliable. So if some rather harsh word escaped me, charge it to the circumstances, not to my true feelings. As for Theodoros, let him answer us: does he wish to do the right thing and stay with his own people, or would he prefer to come bathe at our establishment? We certainly won't begrudge him the trip.

Καλλιοπίῳ. (355) Ὁ κακῶς ἀπολούμενος Θεόδωρος σοί τε πόνων αἴτιος καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς ἠδικημένοις ὀργῆς. οὐ μέντοι τοῦτό γέ σοι μεμφόμεθα τὸ τοὺς παρόντας πρὸ τῶν ἀπόντων ποιεῖσθαι καὶ τοὺς μὲν αἰδεῖσθαι, τοὺς δὲ οἴεσθαι τεθνάναι. οὐ γάρ με λανθάνεις εἰς δόξαν ἥκων ἀπὸ τοῦ τῶν φίλων ἐπιμελὴς εἶναι. ἀλλ’, ὦ δαιμόνιε, τὸ μὲν ἀδικεῖσθαι λυπεῖσθαι ποιεῖ, τῶν λυπουμένων δὲ οὐκ ἀσφαλὴς ἡ γλῶττα. ὥστ’, εἴ τι ταὶ ῥῆμα ἀηδέστερον ἐξέφυγε, τοῦ καιροῦ τοῦτο νομιστέον, οὐ τῆς ἡμετέρας γνώμης. ὁ δὲ Θεόδωρος ἡμῖν ἀποκρινάσθω εἴτε τοῖς αὑτοῦ συνὼν ἐθέλει τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν εἴθ’ ἥδιστα ἂν παρ’ ἡμῖν λούσαιτο. καὶ οὐ φθονήσομέν γε αὐτῷ τῆς ὁδοῦ.