Letter 470: You should have suffered no blow to your household.
To Lampetius. (355/56)
You should have suffered no blow to your household. But since this was the will of those who govern human affairs, you do well to bear the misfortune with composure.
As for this Meterius, among us he had some pleasure but mostly serious pursuits — the former in feasting with us, the latter in the company of those engaged in public affairs, who indeed often delayed his return.
He deserves praise for these things and should not be envied on their account. Surely among you too the elders do not look down on horse races — for it is better for me to put it that way than to say all that I might.
So if his father is of a mind to find no fault, praise his judgment. But if he thinks he must rebuke, change his mind.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Λαμπετίῳ. (355/56)
Ἔδει μέν σοι μηδεμίαν γενέσθαι περὶ τὸν οἶκον πληγήν·
ἐπεὶ δὲ ταῦτα ἔδοξε τοῖς ἄγουσι τὰ ἀνθρώπεια, καλῶς ποιεῖς
σωφρόνως τὸ κακὸν φέρων.
Μητερίῳ δὲ τῷδε παρ’ ἡμῖν
ὑπῆρξε μέν τι καὶ ἡσθῆναι, τὰ πλείω δὲ σπουδάσαι, τῶν μὲν
μεθ’ ἡμῶν εὐωχουμένῳ, τῶν δὲ σὺν τοῖς τὰ πολιτικὰ πράτ-
τουσιν ἀπολαύοντι, οἳ δὴ καὶ τὴν ἐπάνοδον αὐτῷ πολλάκις
ἀνέκοψαν.
προσῆκεν οὖν αὐτὸν τῶν μὲν ἐπαινεῖσθαι, διὰ
δὲ ταῦτα μὴ φθονεῖσθαι. πάντως καὶ παρ’ ὑμῖν οἱ πρεσβύ-
τιροι τὰς τῶν ἴππων ἁμίλλας οὐκ ἀτιμάζουσιν· οὕτω γάρ μοι
κάλλιον εἰπεῖν ἢ ὅσον ἔξεστιν.
εἰ μὲν οὖν οὔτως ὁ πατὴρ
ἔχει γνώμης ὡς μηδὲ ‘ὲν ἐγκαλεῖν, ἐπαίνει τὴν κρίσιν· εἰ δὲ
οἴεται δεῖν ἐπιτιμᾶν, μετάβαλλε τὴν γνώμην.
Related Letters
The bishop's role in conflict, Lampetios, is not to silence the parties but to help them understand each other — and...
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
You have permission to come to us.
1. Now is the time to quote the words of the prophet and to say, Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people. Jeremiah 9:1 Though they are wrapped in profound silence and lie stunned by their misfortune, robbed of all sense of feeling by the fatal blow, ...