Letter 629: If I were not doing these things, I would be doing wrong; but in doing them, I should not reasonably expect praise.
To Amphilochius.
If I were not doing these things, I would be doing wrong; but in doing them I could not reasonably be praised. For you too, were you to neglect your sons, would have accusers, but, in taking care of them, do not look for anyone to admire you. As for me, what these young men do makes me in no small degree their father; and the chief of these things is their being well endowed by nature for eloquence.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Ἀμφιλοχίῳ. (361)
Εἰ μὴ ταῦτα ἐποίουν, ἠδίκουν ἄν, ποιῶν δὲ οὐκ ἂν
εἰκότως ἐπαινοίμην· ἐπεὶ καὶ σὺ τῶν μὲν υἱέων ἀμελῶν εἶχες
ἂν κατηγόρους, ἐπιμελούμενος δὲ μὴ ζήτει τὸν θαυμασόμενον
ἐμὲ δὲ τούτοις οὐκ ὀλίγα ποιεῖ πατέρα· ὧν κεφάλαιον τὸ
πρὸς λόγους εὖ πεφυκέναι.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern libanius retranslated v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/First1KGreek/blob/master/volume_xml/libanius_10.xml
Related Letters
I have told the excellent Phosphorus [the new governor] what sort of man you are — your character, your learning,...
I know the countless labours which you have undergone for the Churches of God; I know your press of occupation, while you discharge your responsibilities, not as though they were of mere secondary importance, but in accordance with God's will. I know the man who is, as it were, laying close siege to you and by whom you are forced, like birds cr...
I owe you a letter and I am paying the debt with this one — though I am aware that a letter written primarily from...
The petition to the Emperor has been drafted and will be sent through the proper channels; I do not expect success...
I had wanted to write to you before -- everything people sing about your character encouraged it.