Letter 490: Even before, my fellow citizens did not disbelieve me when I spoke of you as you deserved.

To Aristaenetus. (356) Even before now I was not distrusted among my fellow citizens when I said about you the things that were worthy to be said about you; but those of my fellow citizens who had been in your company, having become my witnesses before the whole city, implanted still greater belief—that excellent Antiochus, that most excellent Apellion, and all who, passing through your region, received from Fortune the gift of coming to know your soul. The result is that in the gatherings in the marketplace it is you who supply the greater part of the talk, and certain men, even of those not accustomed to stir themselves, are now eager to see your region—not so that they may see that place, but so that in that place they may see you, the sorcerer. For this is the very name that Antiochus brought back, being himself quite thoroughly held captive by you. As for you, that you have at last gotten away from your wife's tomb, I commend you; but they say that you have become no more cheerful than when you used to sit beside the tomb—that you have indeed given up the place, but are gripped by despondency, and altogether show the face of an old man. For you, then, this comes from grief, but for me it comes from being sick. And I have been sick ever since I arrived, and the trouble will not even cease until I cease longing for my homeland. I am amazed that you were vexed at being asked for letters, since you know that our character does not know how to praise Helen in place of Penelope. But as it is, since you are teaching, you have indeed written only a little even now, when it was possible to write more; yet this is more than nothing. We shall try not to turn out bad men, now that the summer is freeing us from the young lads—in which season one might utter something even better.

Ἀρισταινέτῳ. (356) Οὐδὲ πρότερον μὲν ἐν τοῖς πολίταις ἠπιστούμην περὶ σοῦ λέγων ἃ περὶ σοῦ λέγειν ἄξιον ἦν· οἱ δὲ συγγενόμενοι τῶν ἐμῶν πολιτῶν μάρτυρές μοι γενόμενοι πρὸς ἅπασαν τὴν πόλιν πλείω τὴν πίστιν ἐνέθηκαν, Ἀντίοχος ἐκεῖνος ὁ χρηστός, Ἀπελλίων ὁ βέλτιστος, πάντες ὅσοι δι’ ὑμῶν ἰόντες ἔλαβον παρὰ τῆς Τύχης τὸ γνῶναι τὴν σὴν ψυχήν. ὥστ’ ἐν τοῖς ἐπ’ ἀγορᾶς συλλόγοις τὸ πολὺ τῶν λόγων σὺ ποιεῖς καί τινες ἤδη τῶν οὐκ εἰωθότων κινεῖσθαι σπεύδουσιν ἰδεῖν τὸν ὑμέ- τερον τόπον, οὐχ ὅπως ἐκεῖνον ἴδοιεν, ἀλλ’ ὅπως ἐν ἐκείνω σὲ τὸν γόητα. τουτὶ γὰρ ἐκόμισεν Ἀντίοχος τοὔνομα μάλα δὴ κατασχεθεὶς ὑπὸ σοῦ. σὺ δ’ ὅτι μὲν ἀπηλλάγης ποτὲ τοῦ τάφου τῆς γυναικός, ἐπαινῶ· φασὶ δέ σε μηδὲν γεγονέναι φαιδρότερον ἡ ὅτε παρεκάθου τῷ τάφῳ ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν τόπον ἀφεῖναι τῆς δὲ ἀθυμίας ἔχεσθαι καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον πάνυ δεικνύναι γέροντος. σοὶ μὲν οὖν ἐκ λύπης, ἐμοὶ δὲ τοῦτο παρὰ τοῦ νοσεῖν. νοσῶ δέ, ἐξ οὗπερ ἧκον, καὶ οὐδὲ παύσεταί γε τὸ κακόν, πρὶν ἂν παύσωμαι τῆς πατρίδος ἐρῶν. θαυμάζω δὲ ὅπως ἠχθέσθης τὰ γράμματα ἀπαιτούμενος εἰδὼς τὸν ἡμέ- τερον τρόποι ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν ἀντὶ τῆς Πηνελόπης τὴν Ἑλένην ἐπαινεῖν. νῦν δέ, ἐπειδὴ διδάσκεις, μικρὰ μὲν καὶ νῦν γέ- γραφας ἐνὸν πλείω, τοῦ δὲ μηδενὸς τοῦτο πλέον. πειρασόμεθα δὲ μὴ γενέσθαι κακοὶ τοῦ θέρους ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν μειρακίων ἐλευθεροῦντος, ἐν ᾧ τι καὶ βέλτιον ἄν τις φθέγξαιτο.