Letter 513: Themistius drove our city mad with love for wisdom.

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?

Ἀρισταινέτῳ. (356/57) Ἐξέμηνε τὴν πόλιν ἡμῖν εἰς σοφίας ἔρωτα Θεμίστιος σιγῶν μὲν οὐδαμοῦ, πανταχοῦ δὲ λέγων, καὶ λέγων οἷα τοῦτον ἦν εἰκὸς λέγειν, ὥστ’ εἰ μὴ τάχιστα ἀπῆρε, κἂν μετέστησε τὴν βουλὴν ἀπὸ τούτων ἐν οἷς νῦν ἐστιν ἐπὶ τὸν αὑτοῦ βίον. ἐμὲ δὲ ἀναμνήσας τῶν παλαιῶν ἐκείνων πραγμάτων εἰς δάκρυα κατέστησεν, ὃ ἐγὼ τὴν πατρίδα ποθῶν ἴτ’ ὢν παρ’ ὑμῖν οὐδε- πώποτε οἶδα παθών. ἔχει δέ μοι καὶ τὸ σῶμα οὕτως ὥστε ἐλεοῦμαι μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων, ζημία δέ μοι τὸ μὴ τεθνάναι. καὶ πολλὰ μὲν ᾄδεται τῶν νοσημάτων αἴτια, δεῖ δὲ φέ- ρειν ἀφέντα ζητεῖν, ὅθεν ἐστίν. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐζητοῦμέν τι ῥᾷστον εἴρειν. σὺ δὲ οὐ γράψας προσέθηκας τοῖς κακοῖς. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο λέγοις, ὡς ἀντὶ γραμμάτων ἥκει Θεμίστιος, ἀκούσῃ· τί δ’ ἂν ἦν μᾶλλον πρέπον γράμμασι Θε μιστίου;