Letter 441: Whenever someone says a letter has arrived from Andronicus, I know it means complaints have arrived.

To Andronicus. (355) If someone says that a letter has come from Andronicus, it is clear to us that reproaches have come, and so it happens that we grieve no less than we rejoice whenever you write. And you seem to me, being unable to vary yourself, always to follow one and the same path, and to bring a charge either because you received nothing or because you received little. But if indeed you are blaming us with all too much truth, everything has been rendered to you through the envoys; for the tongues of these men are better than many letters. That Cleomenes does ill to those over whom he does not rule is nothing to wonder at; for even to those over whom he does rule he does ill. But I marveled at you when you said that I had been deprived of the honors that are with you, and that I was being compelled to come to you, unless by this you mean to say that dishonor befits those who go off to that place. This you would say rightly.

Ἀνδρονίκῳ. (355) Ἂν εἴπῃ τις ἥκειν Ἀνδρονίκου γράμματα, δῆλον ἡμῖν ὡς ἐγκλήματα ἥκει, καὶ συμβαίνει δὴ μὴ ἧττον ἀλγεῖν ἢ χαί- ρειν, ὅταν ἐπιστέλλῃς. καί μοι δοκεῖς οὐκ ἔχων σαυτὸν ἐξαλ- λάττειν μίαν ἀεὶ στείχειν καὶ ἢ τῷ μὴ λαβεῖν ἢ τῷ μικρὰν λα- βεῖν ἐγκαλεῖν. εἰ δ’ οὖν καὶ λίαν ἀληθῆ μέμφῃ, ἀποδέ- δοταί σοι πάντα διὰ τῶν πρέσβεων· πολλῶν γὰρ ἐπιστολῶν ἀμείνους αἱ τῶνδε γλῶτται. Κλεομένην δὲ ὧν οὐκ ἄρχει κακῶς ποιεῖν οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν· καὶ γὰρ ὧν ἄρχει κακῶς ποιεῖ. σοῦ δὲ ἐθαύμασα λέγοντος ὡς ἀφῄρημαι τῶν παρ’ ὑμῖν τιμῶν καὶ ὡς ἀναγκαζοίμην παρ’ ὑμᾶς ἐλθεῖν, πλὴν εἰ τοῦτο λέγοις, ὡς τοῖς ἐκεῖσε ἰοῦσιν ἀτιμία πρέπει. τοῦτο δὲ ὀρθῶς ἂν λέγοις.