Letter 645

To Ἀκακίῳ. (361) If you had somehow gathered and sent me the riches of Croesus, the gold of Gyges, and the fabled wealth of Midas the Phrygian — whose land you are now enriching as governor of Ancyra, just as you enriched it before (you'll know, I'm sure, why Ancyra bears that name) [Ancyra means "anchor" in Greek, a point of civic pride] — even all of that would not surpass what you have now given. So far do all riches fall short, in my eyes, of the good you have done for Maximus. But see to it, my excellent friend, that what comes next does not fall short of what has already been done. A benefactor who slackens is remembered for the slackening. You have set a high standard. Keep it.

Ἀκακίῳ. (361) Εἴ μοι τὰ Κροίσου χρήματα καὶ χρυσὸν τὸν Γύγου καὶ ἔτι τὸν Μίδου τοῦ Φρυγός , οὗ τὴν χώραν νῦν τε εὖ ποιεῖς καὶ πρότερον ἐποίεις — οὐ θαυμάσῃ δέ, οἶμαι, τὸ καὶ νῦν εὖ ποιεῖν Ἀγκύρας τε ἄρχων καὶ εἰδὼς ὅθεν αὐτῇ τοὔνομα — εἰ οὖν μοι πάντα τὸν ἐκείνων λαβών ποθεν ἐπεπόμφεις πλοῦ- τον, οὐκ ἂν ἦν μείζω τοῦ νῦν δοθέντος τὰ πολλὰ ἐκεῖνα· οὕτως ἐμοὶ πάντα ἐλάττω τῶν Μάξιμον γιγνομένων. ἀλλ’ ὅπως, ὦ ἄριστε μὴ μὴ χείρων ἔσται τῶν ἤδη πεπραγμένων ὁ μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνος· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰς ἀχάριστον καταθήσῃ τὴν χάριν, ἀλλ’ εἰς βοῶντα καὶ κηρύττοντα ὃ λάβοι. οὔκουν ἐσίγησε πρὸς ἡμᾶς οὔτε τὴν παρὰ σὲ εἴσοδον οὔθ’ ὧν ἔτυχεν εἰσελθών, ἀλλ’ οὕτως ἐστὶ χρηστός, ὥστε μακρὰν μὲν ἔπεμψεν ἐπιστολὴν, δι’ ἑνὸς δὲ ῥήματος πᾶσαν ἦλθεν ὑφαίνων, ὥστε με καὶ πρὸς γέλωτα ὑπενεχθῆναι. διὰ γὰρ τοῦ τετίμημαι καὶ ἐτιμήθην καὶ τιμῆς ἠξίωμαι τὸ μῆκος ἐξειργάσατο καὶ ἦν ὁ Δῖός Κόρινθος ἀτεχνῶς τὰ γράμματα. εἰ οὖν ὅστις ἀχάριστος μισοῖτ’ ἂν εἰκότως, ὅτῳ μέλει τοῦ μεμνῆσθαι χάριτος, πῶς οὐχ ὅτι πλείστας τῷ τοιούτῳ δοτέον, ὥσπερ πιείρᾳ γῇ σπέρματα; ἐπῄνεσα δέ σου τὸ δόντα τὴν χάριν μηδὲν εὐθὺς ἐπιστεῖλαι· τό τε γὰρ μηδὲν ἀποκρίνασθαι περὶ ὧν ἠξίουν ἄλογον εἰπεῖν τε ὃ πεποιήκεις ᾐσχύνου. ἀλλ’ ἐπει- δὴ παρ’ ἐμοῦ τὰ σοὶ πεπραγμένα πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀκήκοας, ἴθι καὶ γράφε καὶ διὰ πάντων εὔφραινε.