Letter 539
To Antiochus.
My cousin established the games in honor of Olympian Zeus some time ago. Now he has entered into a public liturgy [a compulsory civic duty for wealthy citizens], and while he already knew a good deal about such things, the highest priority is the spectacle of men fighting wild beasts.
We need animals that are not sleepy and do not let spectators feel safe -- the kind it takes real skill to avoid being caught by. Your mountains breed just such bears: fierce to hunt and fierce to capture. And capturing fierce ones is what gives the crowd its thrill. Our countryside is good hunting ground, and you have many skilled hunters -- the sort I believe even Artemis herself would enjoy.
So make our liturgy a brilliant one with the ferocity of your bears. By the same stroke, free your farmers from fear and strike fear into our arena hunters. Be generous toward your own people.
It was fitting that this letter should come to you from me, and that your good sister should receive one from the excellent Bassiana.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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