To Calliopius.
The pleasure I would have felt if you were governing Syria, I feel now that you are governing cities I hold equal to my homeland. Justice will come to your subjects even without anyone urging you, but there is no harm in letting my friends know that they can expect fair treatment from you. Beyond enjoying the common benefits of good government, there is some comfort in not being overlooked.
Strategius's father was a man who strove to be good, and he was a friend of mine. He entrusted me with the most important thing a person can -- his sons. One of them is still here with me, studying rhetoric. The other took a short course and then entered public service, expecting to distinguish himself in his father's line of work.
But fate snatched the father from the middle of his labors, and the son, left alone, now takes refuge in your care. It is obvious that you will both recognize those who need serious help and provide as much as they require.
The pleasure I would have felt if you were governing Syria, I feel now that you are governing cities I hold equal to my homeland. Justice will come to your subjects even without anyone urging you, but there is no harm in letting my friends know that they can expect fair treatment from you. Beyond enjoying the common benefits of good government, there is some comfort in not being overlooked.
Strategius's father was a man who strove to be good, and he was a friend of mine. He entrusted me with the most important thing a person can -- his sons. One of them is still here with me, studying rhetoric. The other took a short course and then entered public service, expecting to distinguish himself in his father's line of work.
But fate snatched the father from the middle of his labors, and the son, left alone, now takes refuge in your care. It is obvious that you will both recognize those who need serious help and provide as much as they require.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.