Letter 549: You, Olympius, won the contest.

To Olympius and Jovinus. You, Olympius, won the contest. Now pay the prize. The prize is this: make our friend Strategius visible in some office. You certainly have influence with the powerful. As for your brother -- my anger at him was impossible to miss, since Clematius has never learned to keep quiet. But I am astonished that, wanting to apologize, he thought the way to do it was by handing over a young student to the sophists. He entrusted a youth to me and imagines that settles everything -- as though having one more student means that much to me. I did not dislike the young man, but the charges stand until your brother surrenders himself to my judgment and persuades me not to exact the penalty by his willingness to accept whatever penalty I choose. That will come in time. For now, make Letoius great for us. He is a kinsman of your nephews and stands in the relation of kin to me as well. Others go to you trusting in their money. This man goes trusting that he is worthy of the embassy -- and worthy of you. We are well aware that you advanced to power through your reputation for decency. Show, then, that this man is stronger than those who think they can overpower him.

Ὀλυμπίῳ καὶ Ἰοβίνῳ. (357) Σὺ μέν, Ὀλύμπιε, τὸν ἀγῶνα λαῷ, τὸν μισθὸν ἀπόδος· ἔστι δὲ ὁ μισθὸς τὸν ἑταῖρον ἡμῖν Στρατήγιον ἐπί τινος φα- νῆναι σχήματος. πάντως δὲ δύναμίς ἐστί σοι παρὰ τοῖς δυ- νατοῖς. τῷ δὲ ἀδελφῶ σου τὴν μὲν ἐμὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ὀργὴν οὐκ ἦν ἀγνοῆσαι, Κλημάτιος γὰρ οὐκ οἶδε σιγᾶν· ἀπολογεῖ- σθαι δὲ βουλομένῳ θαυμάζω πῶς ποτε ἐπῆλθεν ἃ πρὸς τοὺς σοφιστὰς ποιῆσαι. νέον γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐγχειρίζων οἴεται τὸ πᾶν λελύσθαι· τοσοῦτον εἶναι νομίζει παρ’ ἐμοὶ μαθητήν. ἐγὼ δὲ τὸν μὲν νέον οὐκ ἀηδῶς εἶδον, τὰ δὲ ἐγκλήματα μένει, μέχρις ἄν μοι παραδοὺς αὑτὸν ἐκεῖνος ὅ τι βούλομαι χρῆ- σθαι τούτῳ με αὐτῷ πείσῃ μὴ λαβεῖν δίκην τῷ δίκην ἐθέ- λειν ὑποσχεῖν. ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνα μὲν ἔσται ποτέ· τὸν δὲ Λητόιον ἡμῖν ποιεῖτε μέγαν συγγενῆ μὲν ὄντα τῶν ἀδελφιδῶν ὑμῖν, ἐμοὶ δὲ ἐν τάξει συγγενῶν. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι χρήμασι πι- στεύοντες ὡς ὑμᾶς ἴασιν, ὁ δὲ τῷ πρεσβεύειν ἄξιος εἶναι καὶ ὑμῖν. οὐ γὰρ ἀγνοοῦμεν ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ χρηστοὶ φαίνεσθαι πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι προήλθετε. δείξατε δὴ τὸν ἄνδρα κρείττω τῶν οἰομένων αὐτοῦ κρειττόνων ἔσεσθαι.