Letter 44: Many good things to you for your eagerness on my behalf -- but you seem to have quite forgotten about my body in...

To Florentius. (358/359) For your eagerness on our behalf may many good things come to you, but you appear to have quite forgotten the state of my body when you give me such commands. For I am that man for whom even setting foot in the marketplace involves some toil; for that which to others comes as a delight, this for me, on account of my weakness, is a "sweet bend of the arm" [a proverb for false ease]. To pray to come to you I might be able, but to come I would not be able, no more than to cross the open sea without a ship. And it is not that I would be unable to run off to the Illyrians or to Thrace, but not even if, while I sat in Cilicia, you tried to move me would you prove stronger than necessity itself. Knowing this, Spectatus too was urging you to say those things to the emperor concerning us, but to report to us the words that had been spoken, so that he himself might seem to fall short in nothing, while my body should take the blame for nothing having been accomplished. May Spectatus, then, not cease to jest amid the earnest efforts of his friends; but I, remaining here, will not neglect the hymns. And if ever the good emperor should appear to us, perhaps I shall not behold him in silence.

**To Florentius** (358/359) May many blessings come to you for your goodwill toward me, but you seem to have quite forgotten my body when you issue such commands. For I am that man for whom even a trip to the marketplace involves some labor — what comes as pleasure to others is for me a sweet resting of the elbow, on account of my infirmity. To pray that I might come to you — that I could manage. But actually to come, I could not, any more than I could cross the open sea without a ship. It is not merely that I would be unable to hasten to Illyricum or Thrace — I could not do it even if you were sitting in Cilicia and tried to stir me. You would prove no stronger than necessity. Knowing all this, Spectatus persuaded you to say those things about me to the emperor, and then to report the conversation back to me — so that he himself might appear to have left nothing undone, while my body would take the blame for nothing having been accomplished. Well, may Spectatus never cease making sport of his friends' earnest concerns! But I, remaining here, shall not neglect my hymns of praise. And if ever our good emperor should appear to me, perhaps I shall not greet him in silence.

Φλωρεντίῳ. (358/359) Ἀλλὰ σοὶ τῆς μὲν προθυμίας ἕνεκα τῆς περὶ ἡμᾶς πολλὰ ἀγαθὰ γένοιτο, τοῦ σώματος δέ μου σφόδρα ἐπιλελῆσθαι φαίνῃ τοιαῦτα ἐπιτάττων. ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος, ᾧ καὶ τὸ εἰς ἀγορὰν ἐμβαλεῖν ἔχει τι πόνου ὃ γὰρ τοῖς ἄλλοις εἰς τέρψιν ἔρχεται, τοῦτ’ ἐμοὶ γλυκὺς ἀγκὼν διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν. εὔξασθαι μὲν οὖν παρ’ ὑμᾶς ἐλθεῖν δυναίμην ἄν, ἐλθεῖν δὲ οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην, οὐ μᾶλλόν γε ἢ περᾶσαι πέλαγος ἄνευ πλοίου. καὶ οὐχ ὅτι εἰς Ἰλλυριοὺς ἢ Θρᾴκην οὐκ ἂν οἷός τε εἴην τρέχειν, ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ ἄν, εἴ με ἐν Κιλικίᾳ καθήμενοι κινεῖν ἐπειρᾶσθε. τῆς γε ἀνάγκης ἐγίγνεσθε κρείττους. ἃ καὶ Σπεκτάτος εἰ- δὼς ἔπειθέ σε πρὸς μὶν τὸν βασιλέα περὶ ἡμῶν εἰπεῖν ἐκείνα, πρὸς δὲ ἡμᾶς μηνύσαι τοὺς γεγενημένους λόγους, ὅπως αὐτὸς μὲν δοκοῖ μηδὲν ἐλλείπειν, τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν τοῦ μηδὲν πεπρᾶχθαι τὸ σῶμα λάβοι Σπεκτάτος μὲν οὖν μὴ παύσαιτο παίζων ἐν ταῖς σπουδαῖς τῶν φίλων, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐνταῦθα μένων οὐκ ἀμε- λήσω τῶν ὕμνων. εἰ δέ ποθ’ ἡμῖν ὁ χρηστὸς φανείη βασι- λεύς, ἴσως αὐτὸν οὐ μετὰ σιγῆς ὄψομαι.