Letter 619: Hear what the bearer of this letter says: he accuses the negligent servants and asks you to correct what has gone wrong.

To Modestus. (361 AD) Hear what the bearer of this letter says: he accuses the negligent servants and asks you to correct what has gone wrong. A malicious spirit has seized this business and begrudges the young man his success. But, my good man, as the verse says, yield not to difficulty, not even before a god — in Zeus's name, don't give in. For us, quite apart from the actual harm, the shame alone would be unbearable if we seemed to have let everything be ruined through negligence, especially when word has spread far and wide that you personally committed yourself to overseeing this matter. I think the task won't even require much effort. There's no need to win a second favor — only not to forfeit the one already given. That could be achieved with a very few letters. But even if it turns out to be harder than the labors of Olympia, this won't be the first time you've toiled on our behalf.

Μοδέστῳ. (361) Ἀκούεις ἅ φησιν ὁ λαβὼν τὴν ἐπιστολήν, ὅτι κατηγορεῖ μὲν τῶν οἰκετῶν ἐρρᾳθυμηκότων, σὲ δ’ ἀξιοῖ τὸ συμβὰν ἐπαν- ὀρθῶσαι. πονηρὸς δὲ ἄρα δαίμων ἥψατο τοῦ πράγματος καὶ φθονεῖ τῷ νεανίσκῳ τοῦ τέλους. ἀλλ’, ὦ ’γαθέ, κατὰ τὸ ἔπος καὶ πρὸς δαίμονά περ καὶ μηδενὶ δυσκόλῳ, πρὸς Δῖός, εἴξῃς· ὡς ἡμῖν ἄνευ τῆς βλάβης οὐδὲ τὸ τῆς αἰσχύνης οἷον φέρειν, εἰ δόξαιμεν ὕπνῳ τὸ πᾶι διεφθαρκέναι καὶ ταῦτα λόγου πανταχῆ πεφοιτηκότος, ὡς ἔδωκας σαυτὸν τῇ περὶ ταῦτα προνοίᾳ. οἶμαι μὲν οὖν καὶ πόνον ἀπεῖναι τοῦ πράγματος. οὐ γὰρ δευτέραν δεῖ χάριν λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ μὴ τῆς δοθείσης ἐκπεσεῖν· ὃ γένοιτ’ ἂν ὀλίγοις κομιδῆ γράμμασιν. εἰ δ’ οὖν καὶ τῶν Ὀλυμπιακῶν ἐπιπονώτερον ἄθλων, οὐ νῦν πρῶτον ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πονήσεις.