Letter 454

To Aristainetus. (355/356) I asked the noble Eusebius whether he counted you among his friends. He said yes -- loudly. And the loudness showed he considered the friendship a prize. So at last, stop mourning your wife and spend time with the man you know. You need not advise him on governing -- he has trained for it and is, of everyone I know, the most experienced. He has used his skill with words to save cities. Your part is to watch the paths by which he sets things right, praise him, and make all of Bithynia a single chorus singing of what they have experienced.

Ἀρισταινέτῳ. (355/56) Ἠρόμην τὸν γενναῖον Εὐσέβιον, εἴ σε τιθείη τῶν φίλων. ὁ δὲ καὶ πάνυ φησὶ μέγα βοῶν. ἡ βοὴ δὲ ἦν δηλοῦντος ὡς ἐν κέρδει ποιοῖτο τὴν φιλίαν. σὺ τοίνυν ἀφείς ποτε τὸ τὴν γυναῖκα θρηνεῖν συνεῖναι τῷ γνωρίμῳ. δεῖ δέ σε παρ- αινεῖν μὲν οὐδὲν εἰς τὴν ἀρχήν, ἤσκηται γὰρ ἄρχειν καὶ μά- λιστά γε ὧν ἴσμεν, ἐμπειρίᾳ δὲ λόγων εἰς σωτηρίαν πόλεων κέχρηται· σὺ δ’ ὅπως τὰς ὁδοὺς αἷς ὀρθοῖ τὰς πόλεις ὁρῶν ἐπαινέσῃς καὶ ποιήσῃς ἅπασαν Βιθυνίαν ἔνα χορὸν ᾀδόντων ἃ πεπόνθασιν.