Letter 415: Zenobius was our teacher and meant everything to us.
Zenobius was our teacher and meant everything to us. Boethus is a relative of his. And this Boethus has a son of the same name who, loving the teacher we loved, served him like a son and attended him like a servant. Anyone who did even a small kindness for that man, we count among those who have done the greatest kindness for us.
The younger Boethus lives here and we do what we can for him. The elder Boethus is in your city, and since his son's goodness makes him deserving of good treatment, do something for him. Bringing joy to your friends through justice is every bit as worthy as precision in the courtroom.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Συγκλητίῳ. (355)
Ζηνόβιος ἡμῖν διδάσκαλος καὶ πάντα ἦν. τούτῳ συγγε-
νής ἐστι Βοηθός. τῷ δ’ αὖ Βοηθῷ τούτῳ παῖς ὁμώνυμος, ὃς
τὸν διδάσκαλον ἡμῖν ἀγαπώμενος ὡς υἱὸς ἐθεράπευσεν ὡς
οἰκέτης. ὅστις δὲ ἐκείνῳ τι καὶ μικρὸν ἐχαρίζετο, τοῦτον ἡμεῖς
τίθεμεν εἰς τοὺς τὰ μέγιστα κεχαρισμένους ἡμῖν.
τὸν μὲν
οὖν νεώτερον Βοηθὸν ἐνθάδε οἰκοῦντα ὅ τι ἔχομεν εὖ ποι-
οῦμεν, τὸν δὲ πρεσβύτερον παρ’ ὑμῖν τε ὄντα καὶ διὰ τὴν
τοῦ παιδὸς χρηστότητα δίκαιον εὖ παθεῖν ὄντα σύ τι ποίησον
ἀγαθόν· ὡς τῆς ἐπὶ τῶν δικῶν ἀκριβείας οὐ χεῖρον τὸ τοὺς
φιλοῦντας ἐκ τῶν δικαίων εὐφραίνειν.
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The wise man, even if he dwells far away, even if I never set eyes on him, I count a friend. So says the tragedian Euripides. And so, if, though I have never had the pleasure of meeting your excellency in person, I speak of myself as a familiar friend, pray do not set this down to mere empty compliment.
I have the son I was looking for — your son — and one well suited to receive what he has come for.