Letter 543: I had heard that you were a fine and upright man, and I wanted to meet you.
To Euippius.
I had heard that you were a fine and upright man, and I wanted to meet you. When I did, I found you even better than your reputation, and I quickly looked for a way to benefit from the acquaintance, since you left so soon.
Meeting your father-in-law and this kinsman of yours who carries the letter, I spoke to them about you, offered my praise, and listened to theirs. That you were absent when I was giving my lectures seemed to them a loss for you, but to me a loss for myself.
I was glad to hear that you have a son in the schools, a competitor in oratory, whose success earns you and his aunt the title of blessed parents.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Εὐιππίῳ. (356/57)
Ἤκουον εἶναί σε καλὸν κἀγαθὸν καὶ ἐπεθύμουν ἰδεῖν.
ἰδὼν εὗρον βελτίω τοῦ λόγου καὶ ταχέως ἐζήτουν τὸ κέρδος,
ἐπειδήπερ ἀπῆλθες ὀξέως.
ἐντυχὼν δή σου τῷ κηδεστῇ καὶ
συγγενεῖ τούτῳ τῷ φέροντί σοι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν λόγον ἐποιη-
σάμην πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὰ σὰ καὶ ἐπήνεσα καὶ ἐπαινούντων ἤκουσα.
τὸ δὲ μὴ παρεῖναί σε δεικνύντι μοι λόγους τοῖς μὲν εἶναι
ἐδόκει σὸν βλάβος, ἐμοὶ δὲ ἐμόν.
ἥσθην δὲ ὅτι παῖς ἐν
μουσείοις ἐστί σοι λόγων ἀθλητὴς καὶ ποιῶν σε μετὰ τῆς
ἀδελφῆς εὔπαιδα κεκλῆσθαι.
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