Letter 473: If you have met Clematius, then presumably, having been invited to the wedding, you already know the whole story.
To Silanus. (356 AD)
If you have met Clematius, then presumably, having been invited to the wedding, you already know the whole story. If that has not yet happened, once it does you will hear everything, and you will perhaps say that I did not fall short, but exerted myself beyond what was reasonable.
As for those who think I have influence but lack the will to use it — they feel this naturally enough, believing I enjoy the advantages one might expect. But let them consider what Euripides has to say about expectations, and they will recognize that the blame does not rest entirely with me.
As I have often said: I have the least control over that matter, but you have the most control over mine. Pray for something good for me, since whatever circumstances you find me in, you will share them.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Σιλανῷ. (356)
Εἰ μὲν συνέμιξας Κληματίῳ, εἰκὸς δή σε κληθέντα ἐπὶ
τοὺς γάμους πάντα ἔχειν λόγον· εἰ δ᾿ οὔπω τοῦτο γέγονεν,
ἐπειδὰν γένηται, πάντα ἀκούσῃ λόγον καὶ τάχα οὐκ ἐλάττω
με φήσεις, ἀλλ᾿ ὑπὲρ τὸ μέτριον σπουδάσαι.
ὅσοι δὲ ἡμῖν
οἴονται δύναμιν μὲν εἶναι, τὸ δὲ βούλεσθαι μὴ παρεῖναι, πάσχουσι
μὲν εἰκός τι νομίζοντες ἡμᾶς ἀπολαύειν ὧν εἰκὸς ἦν·
εἰσίτω δὲ αὐτοὺς ἃ περὶ προσδοκιῶν Εὐριπίδης φιλοσοφεῖ, καὶ
γνώσονται ὡς οὐ πάντως παρ᾿ ἡμῖν ἡ μέμψις.
ὃ δὲ πολλάκις
ἔφην, ἐγὼ μὲν ἐκείνου κύριος ἥκιστα, σὺ δὲ τῶν ἐμῶν
μάλιστα. συνεύχου δή τι χρηστὸν ἡμῖν, ὡς ἐν οἷς ἡμᾶς εὑρήσεις,
τούτων κοινωνήσεις.
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