Letter 524: I expected your kinsman to be the cause of no harm and of much good for me.

To Euphemius. I expected your kinsman to be the cause of no harm and of much good for me. Instead, he has done nothing but the one thing that could hurt me most. When he was with us, he failed to send you the many letters I gave him, and the ones I entrusted to him on his departure you apparently never received. Let him explain whose punishment this was supposed to be -- though he will not deny it is a punishment. As for my situation: there is a great deal of work. Some of it comes from my students, some from the many occasions I am called on to perform in public. Add to this the fact that I am always ill. Throughout this entire period, I have lived in the hands of doctors and still have not entirely escaped sickness. Among my fellow citizens, all but one are on good terms with me. In the courts, the truly competent orators are on my side. Those who would have done me harm if they were on my side are instead serving others -- eating lavishly and drinking bowlfuls at the house of that admirable sophist. But with the one person before whom I should rightly have more influence than anyone, I am weaker than everyone. I know I appear to have power, but in reality I have none at all. If this does not seem credible now, it will become clear soon enough.

Εὐφημίῳ. (356) Ἐγὼ τὸν σὸν ἡγούμην συγγενῆ κακοῦ μὲν οὐδενός, ἀγα- θῶν δὲ πολλῶν αἴτιον ἔσεσθαί μοι ὁ δὲ ἀφ’ οὗ μάλιστα ἂν ἐβλάβην, τοῦτο διετέλεσε ποιῶν. οὔτε γὰρ μεθ’ ἡμῶν ὢν τὰ παρ’ ἡμῶν ἔπεμψέ σοι γράμματα πολλὰ λαβὼν ἅ τε ἐπέθηκα ἀπιόντι, ταῦτα οὐ φαίνῃ λαβών. εἰπάτω, τίνος τοσαύτην ἀπῄ- τησε δίκην· ὡς τό γε μὴ εἶναι τοῦτο δίκην οὐκ ἀρνήσεται. τὰ δ’ ἡμέτερα οὕτως ἔχει· πόνος πολύς, ὁ μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν νέων. ὁ δ’ ἀπὸ τοῦ πολλάκις εἰς ἀγῶνας ἐμβαίνειν. καὶ πρόσ- εστι τὸ νοσεῖν ἀεί. πάντα γὰρ δὴ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον ἐνναίον- τες ταῖς τῶν ἰατρῶν χερσὶν οὔπω τελέως ἵξω τοῦ νοσεῖν ἐσμεν. τῶν πολιτῶν δὲ ἡμὶν πλὴν ἑνὸς ἐχόντων οἰκείως τῶν ἐν ταῖς δίκαις οἱ μὲν ὄντες ὡς ἀληθῶς ῥήτορες μεθ’ ἡμῶν εἰσιν, οἱ δὲ βλάψαντες ἄν, εἰ μεθ’ ἡμῶν ἦσαν, ἑτέρων εὖ ποιοῦντές εἰσιν ἐσθίοντες πολλά, πίνοντες κρα- τῆρας τοῦ θαυμασίου σοφιστοῦ. παρ’ ᾧ δὲ δικαίως ἂν ἴσχυον ὅσον οὐκ ἄλλος, ἀσθενέστερος ἁπάντων εἰμί. καὶ οἶδα μὲν ὡς δοκῶ δύνασθαι, δύναμαι δὲ οὐδὲ μικρόν. καὶ ταῦτά σοι, κἂν μὴ νῦν φαίνηται πιστά, φανεῖται μικρὸν ὕστερον.