Letter 470: You should have suffered no blow to your household.
To Lampetius. (355/56)
It would have been right that no blow should befall your house; but since this has seemed good to those who govern human affairs, you do well in bearing the misfortune with self-control.
As for this Materius here, with us it fell to him both to take some pleasure and, for the greater part, to busy himself in serious matters, feasting in the company of some, while enjoying the society of others among those who manage public affairs, men who indeed often held back his return.
It was fitting, therefore, that on these accounts he should be praised, and not envied. Among you too the older men surely do not dishonor the contests of horses; for in this way it is finer for me to speak than as much as is permitted.
If, then, the father is of such a mind as not to bring even a single charge, 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AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern libanius retranslated v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/First1KGreek/blob/master/volume_xml/libanius_10.xml
Related Letters
Even the ability to bewail their own calamities brings much comfort to the distressed; and this is specially the case when they meet with others capable, from their lofty character, of sympathizing with their sorrows. So my right honourable brother Maximus, after being prefect of my country, and then suffering what no other man ever yet suffered...
Well now — what was long in the stitching has finally come together.
That one of the things hardest to achieve, if indeed it be not impossible, is to rise superior to calumny, I am myself fully persuaded, and so too, I presume, is your excellency. Yet not to give a handle by one's own conduct, either to inquisitive critics of society, or to mischief makers who lie in wait to catch us tripping, is not only possibl...
To our beloved and most truly longed-for son, Maximus , philosopher, Athanasius greeting in the Lord.
1. Truly unexpected tidings make both ears tingle. This is my case.