Letter 406: In every other respect, my homeland is better than the foreign city.

To Calliopius. (355) In other respects our native city is better for us than a foreign one, but you do not allow it to be better than the foreign city in all things. For of the letters which formerly you sent in great number, since we have come here, you have begrudged us, though you would be justified in sending them now, even if before you happened to keep silent. And what is still more grievous: others received and possessed them, and showed them to us, while I was forced to allege a reason for my not receiving any. And though I left no stone unturned, I could not find one. For I knew well that you have abundance for speeches, and that I had done you no ill turn, unless I wronged you to this extent, that, when about to deliver a speech, I introduced your name with words of praise; and indeed I did that too as one who loves you purely. I do not believe those who report that you find fault with us, not because we are not bad, but because you are noble and would rather conceal the baseness of your fellow citizens than expose it. Take as a sign of my opinion concerning you also the grief I feel at not receiving letters. For longing must necessarily be the leader of grief. And who would not fall in love with a tongue capable of being raised to the magnitude of great deeds? For, know well, the emperor preserves the cities by his victories, but you preserve the victories by your eloquence; and so we have not been wholly deprived of your letters, but your letter addressed to the public makes amends for the slight shown in private matters.

Καλλιοπίῳ. (355) Τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἡ πατρὶς ἡμῖν ἀμείνων τῆς ἀλλοτρίας, σὺ δὲ αὐτὴν οὐκ ἐᾷς πάντα εἶναι τῆς ἀλλοτρίας ἀμείνω. γραμ- μάτων γάρ, ἃ πρὸ τοῦ πλεῖστα ἔπεμπες, ἐπειδὴ δεῦρ’ ἥκομεν, ἐφθόνησας δίκαιος ὢν νῦν πέμπειν, εἰ καὶ πρότερον ἐτύγχα- νες σιγήσας. καὶ τὸ ἔτι σχετλιώτερον, ἄλλοι μὲν εἶχον λα- βόντες καὶ ἐδείκνυσαν ἡμῖν, ἐγὼ δὲ ἠναγκαζόμην τοῦ μὴ λα- βεῖν αἰτίαν λέγειν. ἣν πάντα κινῶν εὑρεῖν οὐκ εἶχον. σοί τε γὰρ εὐπορίαν εἰς λόγους συνῄδειν ἐμαυτῷ τε εἰς σὲ φαῦλον οὐδέν, πλὴν εἰ τοσοῦτόν σε ἠδίκουν, ὅτι μέλλων δεικνύναι λόγον ἐπεισήνεγκα σὸν ὄνομα σὺν εὐφημίᾳ καὶ μὴν κἀκεῖνο φιλοῦντος καθαρῶς. ἀπιστῶ τοῖς ἀγγέλλουσιν, ὡς ἄρα ἡμᾶς ψέγοις, οὐχ ὅτι ἡμεῖς οὐ κακοί, ἀλλ’ ὅτι σὺ γενναῖος καὶ πολιτῶν φαυλότητα κρύψαις ἂν μᾶλλον ἢ διακαλύψαις. ποιοῦ δὲ σημεῖον τῆς περὶ σὲ γνώμης καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ λαμβάνειν γράμματα λύπην. ἔρωτα γὰρ ἀνάγκη τῆς λύπης ἡγεῖσθαι. τίς δ’ οὐκ ἂν ἐρασθείη γλώττης ἱκανῆς ἀρθῆναι πρὸς μέγεθος ἔργων; ὡς, εὖ ἵσθι, σώζει μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς ταῖς νίκαις τὰς πόλεις, σώζεις δὲ σὺ τῷ λόγῳ τὰς νίκας, καὶ οὐ πάντη ἄρα σῶν γραμμάτων ἀπεστερήμεθα, ἀλλ’ ἡ πρὸς τὸ κοι- νὸν ἐπιστολὴ τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀτιμίαν παραμυθεῖται