Libanius→Aristainetus; and separately to Silanus|libanius
To Aristainetus.
Themistius drove our city mad with love for wisdom. He was never silent, always speaking, and speaking the way you would expect such a man to speak. If he had not left so quickly, he would have converted the entire city council from their current pursuits to the philosophical life.
He reminded me of old times and brought me to tears -- something that never happened even when I was living among you and longing for my homeland. My body is in such a state that others pity me, and I consider it a misfortune not to have died. Many causes are blamed for my illnesses, but I must bear them and stop searching for their origin -- it is not as if the answer would be easy to find.
And you, by not writing, have added to my troubles. If you were to say, "Themistius came instead of a letter," I would reply: what could have been a better accompaniment to a letter than Themistius himself?
Themistius drove our city mad with love for wisdom. He was never silent, always speaking, and speaking the way you would expect such a man to speak. If he had not left so quickly, he would have converted the entire city council from their current pursuits to the philosophical life.
He reminded me of old times and brought me to tears -- something that never happened even when I was living among you and longing for my homeland. My body is in such a state that others pity me, and I consider it a misfortune not to have died. Many causes are blamed for my illnesses, but I must bear them and stop searching for their origin -- it is not as if the answer would be easy to find.
And you, by not writing, have added to my troubles. If you were to say, "Themistius came instead of a letter," I would reply: what could have been a better accompaniment to a letter than Themistius himself?
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.