To Euphemius. (361 AD)
Don't take me for the Euripus. [The strait notorious for its reversing currents — proverbial for inconstancy.] I could neither stop blaming this man nor stop loving him. I do the former as one who is neglected; I do the latter as an uncle — or rather, if you prefer, as a father, a gentle father who knows how to bear a son's wild spirits. That is the becoming way to put it.
When I consider the standing of our ancestors, of which he is the heir, I think I must in every way support the honor of his family, and I would dearly like to see my uncle's son shine in the city.
And now I have no small power at hand to help. In treating your office as my own resource, I am perhaps not wrong. Expect from me both accusations against him and intercessions on his behalf in equal measure.
Don't take me for the Euripus. [The strait notorious for its reversing currents — proverbial for inconstancy.] I could neither stop blaming this man nor stop loving him. I do the former as one who is neglected; I do the latter as an uncle — or rather, if you prefer, as a father, a gentle father who knows how to bear a son's wild spirits. That is the becoming way to put it.
When I consider the standing of our ancestors, of which he is the heir, I think I must in every way support the honor of his family, and I would dearly like to see my uncle's son shine in the city.
And now I have no small power at hand to help. In treating your office as my own resource, I am perhaps not wrong. Expect from me both accusations against him and intercessions on his behalf in equal measure.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.